Philippines

A wet market in Beijing: China said on Sept. 26 that stop accepting import declarations from two Russian ships for four weeks, after it discovered the novel coronavirus on seafood packaging. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Sept. 20 to Sept. 26, China halts seafood imports from Russian vessels

Australia says inquiry into COVID origin crucial; Indonesia reports record daily rise for 3rd day

26 September 2020
Police are seen in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, on Sept. 12. Victoria reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months, putting it on course to relax a hard lockdown in Melbourne by the end of the month. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Sept. 13 to Sept. 19, Australia's Victoria logs fewest cases since June

Japan lawmaker infected for first time; Roche says its drug reduces ventilator need

19 September 2020
Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., pictured on Feb. 20: the Philippines' exact motivations are far from certain.
Opinion

Will the Philippines risk war with Malaysia over Sabah?

Manila's bombast more likely an attempt to deflect claims that it's weak on China

18 September 2020
Dito Telecommunity is aiming to break the Philippines' longstanding telecom duopoly. (Source photos from Reuters and screenshot of Dito Telecommunity's website)
17 September 2020
Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal insists his state will remain in Malaysia during an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review. (Photo courtesy of the Sabah Chief Minister's Office)
Interview

Sabah chief looks to ASEAN to quash Philippine territorial claim

Shafie Apdal urges Malaysian government to resolve dispute 'once and for all'

17 September 2020
Cranes are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

Emerging Asia set for 1st recession in six decades, says ADB

Nobel laureate Stiglitz signals the end of region's labor intensive growth model

15 September 2020
A Filipino-Chinese resident waves miniature Philippines and Chinese flags upon the arrival of a Chinese naval ship in Davao city, southern Philippines in April 2017.
South China Sea

Philippine and Chinese defense chiefs try to ease South China Sea tensions

Beijing offers Manila $19m military grant in regional PR offensive

12 September 2020
The Makati business district of Manila is slated to have a subway up and running in 2025. 
Transportation

Chinese contractor to build subway for 'Manila's Wall Street'

$1.2bn deal comes as Philippines says it needs Bejing's cash despite US pressure

11 September 2020
Inmates are rounded up in the courtyard of Manila City Jail as officials search the premises for drugs and other illegal paraphernalias in this November 2018 photo.
International relations

Philippine drug fugitive found dead after deportation from Taiwan

Rights advocates see double standard on island that shelters Hong Kong activists

11 September 2020
TikTok, the international version of ByteDance's short video app, has, like telecom hardware maker Huawei, raised concerns internationally. But its "soft power" potential makes it unique. (Illustration by Nakako Shiotsuki)
Business Spotlight

Asia's divide over TikTok: troubled in Tokyo, chilled in Manila

Reactions to security fears after US crackdown on app reflect relations with China

11 September 2020
Major contactors based in the central Philippines island of Cebu laid off around 4,000 garment workers in early September.
Business trends

Philippine garment makers expect 21,000 layoffs as US orders fall

Workers union appeals to sports apparel giants to help avert further job cuts

8 September 2020
A baby receives free polio vaccine in Quezon City, Metro Manila, in October 2019: millions of children need lifesaving drops.
Opinion

Polio stalks the Philippines. Again.

COVID-19 lockdowns hampering polio vaccination effort

8 September 2020
A Chinese guided-missile frigate: The ASEAN meetings take place against the backdrop of mounting tensions in the South China Sea.
International relations

Sino-US tug of war looms large in ASEAN meetings

China to use promise of coronavirus vaccine to sway members to its side

8 September 2020
The first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial receives an injection on May 4.
5 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacanang on Aug. 31. (Photo courtesy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office)
US-China tensions

Philippines pushes deals with Chinese company blacklisted by US

Manila says it is 'not a vassal state' and needs Chinese money for infrastructure

1 September 2020
Members of the Philippine Air Force inspect helicopters near Manila. The new radars are expected to help Manila better monitor activities in the South China Sea.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Philippines radar deal marks Japan's first arms export

Mitsubishi Electric's detection system to help Manila monitor the South China Sea

29 August 2020
Vladimir Putin talks with Rodrigo Duterte during their meeting in Sochi in October 2019: Putin has proved a useful role model.
Opinion

Duterte's Putin bromance highlights Asia's strongman infatuation

Vaccine diplomacy a sign of Moscow's strategic penetration in Asia

28 August 2020
President Rodrigo Duterte is betting on personal ties with his Russian and Chinese counterparts to secure vaccine supplies for the Philippines. (Nikkei Montage/Source photos by AP and AFP/Jiji) 
Coronavirus

Can Duterte's vaccine diplomacy kickstart local pharma industry?

Southeast Asian countries are looking abroad for supplies and technical know-how

27 August 2020
AirAsia pioneered the cut-rate airline model in Southeast Asia with a determination to keep seats filled and its jets in the sky, but new restrictions will likely test this business model.
Transportation

AirAsia and its LCC rivals seek post-COVID rebirth

Malaysia-based budget airline suffers record quarterly loss of $237m

25 August 2020
Cambodian sailors raise their national flag on a Chinese naval patrol boat during a handover ceremony at a Cambodian naval base at Ream, southwest of Phnom Penh, in 2007. 
Arts

Book review: China's impact in Southeast Asia chronicled

Exhaustive study of Beijing's growing influence comes at a critical juncture

25 August 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, have been going back and forth on overlapping claims of the South China Sea.
South China Sea

Duterte minister lambastes Beijing as South China Sea spat flares

Philippines says China's maritime claim only exists 'in their imaginations'

24 August 2020
Street food vendors wearing protective masks serve customers in Manila on Aug. 10.
DealStreetAsia

Philippine Macay acquires catering provider Kitchen City

Listed investment company spends $41m for first food-service business

24 August 2020
A property in central Manila owned by Ayala Land. (Photo by Jun Endo)
20 August 2020
A medical personnel uses a bag-mask valve at an isolation facility in Metro Manila on May 1: few problems are insurmountable when collaborative science rise to the occasion.
Opinion

Reimagining Asia's response to COVID-19

Purpose-driven leadership, digital transformation and collective effort are critical

19 August 2020
A boy wears a face shield while watching an online learning class from a smartphone in his home in Manila on Monday.
Coronavirus

Duterte eases Manila lockdown in bid to boost tanking economy

Government will expand testing and contact tracing of symptomatic patients

18 August 2020