Entries tagged "News"

  • Huawei Faces Push Back in Germany | Dec. 6, 2019, 9:34 a.m.

    Amid rising concern about Chinese technology companies, German legislators are challenging a government proposal that would allow the use of Huawei equipment in the country's 5G network, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S., Australia Bid on Subic Bay Shipyard | Dec. 5, 2019, 9:36 a.m.

    A U.S. firm and Australian shipbuilder have bid on the Philippines' largest shipyard in Subic Bay near the South China Sea, a project which has also attracted Chinese interest, Nikkei reports. The shipyard is located in an area that once hosted the largest overseas U.S. defense facility.

  • Indonesia Talks Fund with Japan, U.S. | Dec. 4, 2019, 10:06 a.m.

    Indonesia is in talks with Japan and the U.S. to establish a sovereign wealth fund for infrastructure and other development projects. The fund will help cover the estimated $33 billion needed to develop the country's new capital in East Kalimantan, Nikkei reports.

  • China-Built Roads Spark Nepal Protests | Dec. 3, 2019, 9:38 a.m.

    Beijing has signed 20 new agreements with Nepal for infrastructure development under its Belt and Road Initiative, but the recent leak of a document suggesting that road expansion could result in the loss of hundreds of acres of land along Nepal's border with China has sparked protests, Nikkei reports.

  • Jakarta Opens First Light Rail | Dec. 2, 2019, 9:26 a.m.

    In an effort to reduce traffic congestion, Jakarta recently opened service on the Indonesian capital's first light rail transit line, a key project in Indonesian President Joko Widodo's infrastructure modernization plans, which also include an intercity metro and China-funded high-speed railway between Jakarta and Bandung, Nikkei reports.

  • Asia Pacific Avoids China Debt | Nov. 27, 2019, 9:31 a.m.

    Debt sustainability risks are rising in the Asia Pacific region according to the International Monetary Fund, however, Chinese loans are not yet playing a significant role despite concerns sparked in Australia and the U.S. after China offered aid to the Solomon Islands following the switch of diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing, Nikkei reports.

  • India Concerned about CPEC | Nov. 26, 2019, 10:43 a.m.

    The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is of significant concern to India, which views the corridor as a violation of its sovereignty, according to India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. However, in an interview with Nikkei, Jaishankar did not criticize the broader Belt and Road Initiative, stating that each country has the right to its own policies.

  • Pakistan Seeks Iran, Saudi Involvement in CPEC | Nov. 25, 2019, 9:28 a.m.

    In in effort to make the costly China-Pakistan Economic Corridor profitable, Islamabad is encouraging nearby countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia to participate in the initiative alongside China, Nikkei reports.

  • India Woos Sri Lanka Post-Election | Nov. 22, 2019, 9:26 a.m.

    New Delhi has reached out to Sri Lanka's newly-elected president in an attempt to improve diplomatic ties. The move comes at a time when Sri Lanka is experiencing increased Chinese investment under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • Huawei Shifts to Japanese Suppliers | Nov. 21, 2019, 11:56 a.m.

    As the U.S. ban on sales to Huawei forces the company to turn to other suppliers, Huawei is increasingly looking to Japan for procurement and R&D collaboration, Nikkei reports.

  • Huawei Named for New Zealand 5G | Nov. 20, 2019, 9:49 a.m.

    Spark, New Zealand's second-largest mobile carrier, has named Huawei as one of its preferred 5G vendors and intends to procure equipment from the Chinese company; however, New Zealand's government may still refuse to grant approval due to security concerns and U.S. pressure, Nikkei reports.

  • Industrial Parks Boom in SE Asia | Nov. 19, 2019, 11:46 a.m.

    As the U.S.-China trade war drives Chinese enterprises and other companies to relocate, Southeast Asian countries are constructing industrial parks and using tax incentives to attract manufacturers. As a result, Chinese corporate investment in Thailand is expected to increase by 30 percent this year, and foreign direct investment in Malaysia roughly doubled, Nikkei reports.

  • Huawei Offers Thailand Tech Center | Nov. 18, 2019, 9:25 a.m.

    Huawei Technologies is lobbying to build Thailand's 5G network in order to strengthen its foothold in Southeast Asia. Thailand's economy is the second-largest in the region and important to Huawei, in order to secure a deal they have ramped up the offer to include building a tech training center in Bangkok, Nikkei reports.

  • Philippines Shelves Chinese Projects | Nov. 15, 2019, 9:42 a.m.

    Philippines' President Duterte has shelved a number of megaprojects, including two Chinese-financed deals, under his "Build, Build, Build" program due to feasibility concerns. Instead, the government hopes to pursue public-private-partnerships to fund Duterte's multi-billion-dollar infrastructure program.

  • Xi Visits BRI Port in Greece | Nov. 14, 2019, 10:59 a.m.

    Chinese president Xi Jinping's visited Greece's Port of Piraeus on Monday, where the port's operator, Chinese state-owned shipping company COSCO, is set to invest another $661 million. Xi's trip underscored China's intent to continue expanding its footprint in Europe through its Belt and Road Initiative despite skepticism, Nikkei reports.

  • Japan Backs Sri Lanka Amid Debt Fears | Nov. 13, 2019, 11:03 a.m.

    The Japan Bank for International Cooperation is backing Sri Lanka's first issuance of bonds in the Japanese market amid concerns about rising debt levels in the South Asian country.

  • China Lends Belarus $500 Million | Nov. 12, 2019, 9:17 a.m.

    Belarus recently secured a $500 million loan from the China Development Bank and stopped negotiations on a possible loan from Russia. The agreement followed a series of investments under China's Belt and Road Initiative, including funds for Belarusian railways and the Great Stone Industrial Park, raising speculation that the Eastern European country is seeking to deepen ties with China and reduce its dependency on Moscow.

  • U.S. Launches Blue Dot Network | Nov. 7, 2019, 11:20 a.m.

    U.S. officials announced the launch of the "Blue Dot Network" at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in collaboration with Japan and Australia. The network will help the U.S. counter China's Belt and Road Initiative by advancing quality infrastructure investment.

  • Sri Lanka Opens India-Funded Airport | Nov. 6, 2019, 9:20 a.m.

    Sri Lanka's Jaffna International Airport, which opened in October, received about $1.7 million in funding from India's Government, signaling that Sri Lanka's current administration is looking to countries other than China for infrastructure development assistance, Nikkei reports.

  • Macron Visits Xi in Shanghai | Nov. 5, 2019, 10:48 a.m.

    French president Emmanuel Macron will meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Shanghai ahead of the China International Import Expo. His visit follows the announcement of a new EU investment screening framework designed to shield European technology and infrastructure from growing Chinese influence.

  • Japan, U.S. Heighten Infrastructure Cooperation | Nov. 4, 2019, 10:18 a.m.

    U.S. Exim Bank and Japan's state-backed Nippon Export and Investment Insurance have signed a deal enabling them to jointly mitigate export risks faced by Japanese-led energy and other infrastructure projects that have U.S. participation, Nikkei reports.

  • China Debuts 5G | Oct. 31, 2019, 5:23 p.m.

    China rolled out commercial 5G services today, which are anticipated to add $2.4 billion and almost 20 million jobs to China's economy over the next ten years, Nikkei reports.

  • Planning Ahead for 6G | Oct. 31, 2019, 9:41 a.m.

    While Chinese carriers are expected to lauch the world's largest 5G network, on Thursday, Sony, NTT and Intel announced that they will form a partnership to work on 6G mobile network technology, to be announced around 2030. The three new partners want to establish an organization in the U.S. by next spring, reports Nikkei.

  • $1.5 Billion Hambantota Port Attracts Business | Oct. 30, 2019, 9:25 a.m.

    Commercial activity has increased at Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port since the controversial 2017 deal that gave China an 85% stake and 99-year lease, and China says it intends for the port to become a South Asia hub, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S. FCC to Vote on Huawei Ban | Oct. 29, 2019, 9:29 a.m.

    The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote in November on whether to classify Huawei and ZTE as a national security risk, a decision that could block U.S. rural carriers from using FCC funding to purchase Huawei products or services.

  • China Seeks Afghan Participation in BRI | Oct. 28, 2019, 9:17 a.m.

    Starting today in Beijing, China will begin brokering peace talks among rival Afghan factions in hopes of increasing stability in the region and furthering the reach of its Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia, Nikkei reports.

  • Provincial Government Leases Tulagi to Chinese Company | Oct. 25, 2019, 9:11 a.m.

    A provincial government in the Solomon Islands has leased the island of Tulagi to China Sam Enterprise Group, a technology, investment, and energy conglomerate. The agreement grants the conglomerate wide-ranging powers to develop infrastructure on Tulagi and the surrounding islands and has drawn criticism from Solomons Attorney General as well as officials in the U.S. and Taiwan due to debt and legal concerns.

  • China Ramps up Investment in Balkans | Oct. 24, 2019, 9:21 a.m.

    China's deepening economic ties with Central and Eastern Europe caused Secretary Pompeo to express concerns during a recent visit to the Balkans, Nikkei reports.

  • Pakistan Seeks China, Japan Aid for Infrastructure | Oct. 23, 2019, 9:29 a.m.

    During a recent trip to Tokyo, Pakistan's President, Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi, expressed hope that both Japan and China will continue to invest in the country's infrastructure to help spur economic development, Nikkei reports.

  • View All Analysis | Oct. 22, 2019, 9:43 a.m.

    Browse our analysis section for news and articles on topics such as China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), the Competing Visions of Japan, India, and other regional powers, and the stakes for U.S. policy.

  • Xi Talks Internet Governance | Oct. 21, 2019, 9:24 a.m.

    In a speech at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China, Chinese president Xi Jinping said that it is the common responsibility of the international community to develop, use, and govern the internet well. Xi's statement was made amid rising concerns that China is exporting a model of internet governance that promotes censorship to recipient countries of its Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • U.S.-Australia Boost Space Efforts Amid China's BRI | Oct. 18, 2019, 10:55 a.m.

    In light of an increasingly dominant Chinese space program under China's Belt and Road Initiative, the newly created Australian Space Agency has invested $150 million AUD to bolster cooperation with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Nikkei reports.

  • Germany Stops Short of Huawei Ban | Oct. 17, 2019, 9:35 a.m.

    Germany has released its draft security guidelines for new 5G network suppliers which do not exclude Chinese companies, despite U.S. warnings that it will have to reconsider intelligence sharing with allies that use equipment from Chinese manufacturer Huawei, Nikkei reports.

  • Xi Talks Tibet railway in Nepal | Oct. 15, 2019, 8:45 a.m.

    When Xi Jinping's visits Nepal this weekend, a proposed 72-km railway between Kyirong in Tibet and Kathmandu is likely to dominate the agenda, Nikkei reports.

  • Pakistan PM Backs CPEC in Beijing | Oct. 7, 2019, 9:46 a.m.

    Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is due to speak at a high profile China-Pakistan business forum on Tuesday where he is expected to reaffirm his country's openness to Chinese investment. His two-day visit to Beijing comes amid uncertainty over the future of projects under the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Nikkei reports.

  • Taiwan Expands New Southbound Policy | Oct. 4, 2019, 9:32 a.m.

    Taiwan's pitch to build Asian government infrastructure has led to a rise in contracts from four in 2015 to 20 last year, including on metros and roads in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam, Nikkei reports

  • China Expands BRI in Serbia | Oct. 3, 2019, 9:35 a.m.

    China's Belt and Road Initiative has led to an increase in infrastructure investment in Serbia, and this past month Serbia purchased Chinese military equipment and Huawei security infrastructure as well, signalling a growing partnership between the two countries, Nikkei reports.

  • Huawei Expands Beyond China | Oct. 2, 2019, 9:30 a.m.

    Huawei has struck deals to establish 5G infrastructure with over 50 wireless carries outside of China, highlighting its push to expand its digital infrastructure services to the rest of the world, Nikkei reports.

  • Many Japanese Companies Using Huawei | Oct. 1, 2019, 10:43 a.m.

    In a recent poll of 50 major Japanese companies, 80 percent reported that they are using Huawei, despite international concern about security risks. This statistic does not take into account the many companies which declined to respond, Nikkei reports.

  • $83B Japanese Rail Line Delayed | Sept. 30, 2019, 10:19 a.m.

    The timetable for an $83 billion project to build an ultrafast magnetic-levitation rail line between Tokyo and Nagoya has been delayed due to environmental concerns, Nikkei reports.

  • Singapore Named Top AI City | Sept. 26, 2019, 9:40 a.m.

    In a new report, Singapore has been named the number one city in the world for artificial intelligence, based on infrastructure, innovation, and government awareness of potential social issues which stem from AI, Nikkei reports.

  • Philippines Banks on Infrastructure | Sept. 24, 2019, 9:48 a.m.

    Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has pushed national spending on infrastructure projects in hopes of creating an economic boom, though this model also carries risks, Nikkei reports.

  • Canada Invests in Indonesian Infrastructure | Sept. 23, 2019, 10:20 a.m.

    Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has purchased a 45 percent stake in the 117 kilometer-long Cikopo-Plimanan Toll Road project, highlighting CPPIB's commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, Nikkei reports.

  • Nepalese Hydropower Exports Face Challenges | Sept. 20, 2019, 12:54 p.m.

    With a potential hydropower capacity of at least 40,000 megawatts from its Himalayan rivers, Nepal is looking to export some of its excess hydropower energy to its neighbors. However, rocky relations between Kathmandu and New Delhi, along with domestic unrest in Nepal have put these plans in doubt, Nikkei reports.

  • BRI Boosts Construction Revenue | Sept. 19, 2019, 10:44 a.m.

    Chinese contractors earned over $118 billion in overseas construction sales last year, nearly a quarter of the year's international construction revenue. This is largely related to Chinese construction companies involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • China Eyes Accelerating Infrastructure Spending | Sept. 18, 2019, 10:39 a.m.

    China looks to increase infrastructure investment to underpin its slowing economy by issuing infrastructure bonds initially slated for 2020 ahead of schedule, Nikkei reports.

  • China Attempts to Accelerate CPEC | Sept. 17, 2019, 10:18 a.m.

    A Chinese delegation was in Balochistan, Pakistan early in September, attempting to speed up progress on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects, which have moved slowly due to governmental and local criticism in Pakistan, Nikkei reports.

  • Kickstarting Asian Water Infrastructure | Sept. 16, 2019, 9:53 a.m.

    Many Asian cities, such as Jakarta and Bangkok, are threatened by rising sea levels. Unless delayed water infrastructure projects are accelerated, large sections of these cities will be underwater in the near future, Nikkei reports.

  • China Encourages Local Infrastructure Investment | Sept. 13, 2019, 10:36 a.m.

    China has encouraged local governments to raise more funding from the bond market than planned in 2019 to keep them investing in infrastructure, despite an uncertain economic outlook, Nikkei reports.

  • Thai BRI Rail Delayed | Sept. 12, 2019, 10:28 a.m.

    Amidst discussions over the liabilities and feasibility of a $9.9 billion price tag, the Thai government has delayed a high-profile Chinese Belt and Road high speed railway project.