Category: Development

By Holmes Chan A sprawling business empire built by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing is caught in the crossfire as the extent of Chinese influence over the Panama Canal is debated. U.S. Secretary of State ...

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country’s leader insisted he was not afraid of a U.S. invasion and offered talks. Rubio, paying his ...

The Trump administration’s decision to halt and review U.S. foreign assistance to developing countries instantaneously turned the United States from many countries’ biggest helper into their biggest problem. In the process, he kicked off a massive experiment. The research question ...

The Trump administration's decision to issue a 90-day freeze on most foreign assistance worldwide will have a disproportionate impact on a number of African countries that rely heavily on U.S. aid. The State Department's "stop-work" ...

The Chinese embassy in Cambodia dismissed reports that Beijing is withdrawing from a controversial canal project in the Mekong River as “complete nonsense.” The groundbreaking ceremony for the $1.7 billion 180km Funan Techo canal project was held in August, but since ...

By Joan Aurelia During his first state visit as Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto oversaw the signing of a $10 billion investment deal in Beijing last November. While the agreement spans sectors such as health, biotechnology, manufacturing, food security, and finance, renewable energy ...

New Zealand will review all its development aid to the Pacific island of Kiribati, following the cancellation of a meeting between its Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau. Peters said the cancellation - about a week before the scheduled meeting - reflects a larger lack ...

By Claudio Bozzi, Lecturer in Law at Deakin University On his way to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte to officially open a new $3.6 billion deepwater mega-port in ...

China’s state-owned oil company Sinopec signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan government to accelerate the building of a $3.7 billion oil refinery in the port city of Hambantota. The agreement includes fast-tracking unresolved issues around water access, land allocation, and taxes. The deal will be the largest single ...

Asian markets were mixed Friday as data showing China's economy grew slightly quicker than expected last year failed to inspire investors, with Beijing battling to revive consumption and boost the battered property sector. The five percent expansion was in line with ...

In a move that could reshape Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle (EV) landscape, ride-hailing giant Grab has teamed up with China’s BYD to deploy up to 50,000 EVs across six countries. The partnership, announced on Wednesday, targets the financial and logistical ...

The recent appointment of Wang Lutong as China’s 14th Ambassador to Indonesia signifies a pivotal moment in the growing relationship between the two nations. Arriving in Jakarta in late November, Wang succeeds Lu Kang, who served as Beijing's envoy since 2021.