Asia Economy
Goldman Sachs cuts its China GDP forecast to 4% on Covid controls
Since March, mainland China has struggled to contain its worst Covid outbreak in two years. Notably, the metropolis of Shanghai, pictured here on May 18, only started this week to begin discussing resumption of normal activity — with a goal of mid-June. Hector Retamal | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING — Goldman Sachs analysts on […]
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Australian election polls show race tightening in final campaign stretch
Australia’s national election has become too close to call, polls out on Wednesday showed, as the ruling conservative coalition narrowed the gap with the main opposition Labor Party, three days before the country decides on a new government. Centre-left Labor’s lead over the Liberal-National coalition has shrunk to 51-49% on a two-party preferred basis from […]
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Japan’s GDP shrinks as surging costs raise specter of deeper downturn
A pedestrian crosses a road in Shinjuku district in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, March 7, 2022. Japan’s economy shrank for the first time in two quarters in the January-March period as Covid-19 curbs hit the service sector and surging commodity prices created new pressures, raising concerns about a protracted downturn. Noriko Hayashi | Bloomberg | […]
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China Vice Premier Liu soothes tech firms, supports overseas listings
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He speaks at a national video teleconference on May 7, 2022. He made soothing comments to tech executives on Tuesday, saying the government supported the development of the sector and public listings for technology companies in further signs a crackdown on the sector is easing. Ding Lin | Xinhua News Agency […]
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Air travel is making a strong comeback, but Asia is lagging behind, IATA says
International air travel has been making a strong recovery this year, with the exception of the Asia-Pacific region, which is “lagging significantly behind,” according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). “Last year, international travel was at about 25% of where it was in 2019. First quarter of this year across the globe, it’s up […]
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Singapore to restart work on new airport terminal as passengers return
Travelers walk through the transit area at Changi Airport in Singapore, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Singapore will resume building a fifth terminal at its Changi Airport after a two-year hiatus, the transport minister said on Tuesday, as regional and global air and passenger traffic recovers from the pandemic. Ore Huiying | Bloomberg | Getty […]
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Shanghai achieves ‘zero Covid’ status but normal life is weeks away
Residents line up to take nucleic acid tests on May 12, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Streets in China’s capital Beijing were quiet on Friday as residents heeded the advice of authorities to work from home to stop the spread of Covid-19, while officials in locked-down Shanghai said they aimed to defeat the virus this month. […]
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Some factories might leave China, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter much
China still holds the cards for global supply chains, whether or not Covid lockdowns frustrate businesses in the near term. An employee works on the production line of the screens for 5G smartphones at a factory on May 13, 2022 in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province of China. Zhu Haipeng | Visual China Group | Getty Images […]
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JPMorgan picks China stocks to play Beijing’s infrastructure boost
China has announced big plans to build up more cities, and JPMorgan analysts say it’s time to buy some infrastructure stocks. That’s based on news earlier this month that China’s top executive body, the State Council, has loosened residency rules to allow migrant workers from rural areas to settle in smaller towns. By the numbers, […]
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North Korea’s Kim orders military to ‘stabilize’ drug supply amid Covid outbreak
North Korea acknowledged for the first time last week that it is battling an “explosive” Covid-19 outbreak. In this file photo, employees are seen spraying disinfectant as part of preventative measures against the virus at the Yokjon Department Store in Pyongyang on October 20, 2021. Kim Won Jin | AFP | Getty Images North Korean […]
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