Welcome to Your Week in Asia.
Senior officials of Japan, China and South Korea will meet in Seoul on Tuesday to work together toward restarting intergovernmental talks with a view to holding a trilateral leaders summit at an early date.
After repeated delays, Indonesia expects to launch its high-speed rail service this weekend, the first in Southeast Asia.
Get the best of our coverage of Asia and much more by following us on Twitter @NikkeiAsia.
MONDAY
AIIB annual meeting in Egypt
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank holds a two-day annual meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, with focuses on sustainability and multilateral cooperation. The Beijing-led regional development lender came under criticism in June from Bob Pickard, its departing global director of communication, for being controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, an allegation which the AIIB rejected.
Huawei phone "launch"
Huawei hosts a long-awaited product launch event. The Chinese tech leader will likely share more details on its highly-anticipated flagship foldable smartphones, the Mate 60 Pro and Mate X5. Both models have domestically-made 5G mobile processors for the first time after the U.S. cut access to vital chips. Market watchers view Huawei's introduction of 5G-capable smartphones as a major victory for China to battle U.S. export controls by upgrading the local supply chain.
TUESDAY
China, Japan, South Korea hold high-level talks
High-ranking officials from China, Japan and South Korea are set to meet in Seoul for talks. Representing of their foreign ministries will discuss ways to facilitate cooperation. One key question is whether they can agree to hold a trilateral summit. That will be challenging as Japan and South Korea have drawn closer to the U.S. -- to China's dismay.
Joint presser by India-U.S. military chiefs
Gen. Manoj Pande, India's army chief, and Gen. Randy George, the U.S. army's vice chief of staff, will hold a joint press conference on the sidelines of a conference of army chiefs from 35 Indo-Pacific nations the two countries are co-hosting in New Delhi from Monday to Wednesday. The purpose of the forum "will be to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," an Indian defense ministry statement said. The U.S. embassy to India described it as the "largest conference for land forces" in the region.
WEDNESDAY
Monetary policy: Thailand
FRIDAY
GDP: Vietnam Q3
Japan data: industrial production, retail sales
WEEKEND
China PMI
On Saturday, China's release of the purchasing managers' index for September will indicate if the improvement in factory activity has been sustained. While still in state of contraction, the official manufacturing PMI strengthened from a low of 48.8 in May to 49.7 in August.
Maldives holds final round in presidential race
The Maldives holds the second and final round of its election on Saturday. The geopolitical stakes are high after pro-China candidate Mohamed Muizzu jumped into a surprising lead ahead of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the India-friendly incumbent, in the first round earlier this month. Beijing and New Delhi will be watching the run-off closely as the archipelago straddles busy Indian Ocean shipping lanes that are a focus of their competition for influence.
Indonesia's high-speed train expected to launch
Indonesia plans to begin commercial operations of its high-speed rail service on Sunday. The first high-speed rail in Southeast Asia is a prestige project for Jakarta and Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, despite being plagued by delays over five years and cost overruns. The route stretches 140 kilometers, connecting Jakarta with the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, a major tourist destination. The journey can soon be made in 28 minutes.
