Entries tagged "News"

  • Huawei Demands Network Infrastructure IP Fees | June 13, 2019, 9:26 a.m.

    Huawei's intellectual property chief has demanded Verizon Communications pay the Chinese firm for intellectual property licensing fees on network infrastructure and equipment, as well as "internet of things" technology, reports Nikkei.

  • World Bank Head Pushes China Transparency | June 12, 2019, 9:25 a.m.

    Newly seated World Bank President David Malpass says the multilateral organization is working hard to ensure Beijing improves transparency in lending to countries involved in its Belt and Road Initiative, Nikkei reports.

  • Duterte Nets $6B in Tokyo | June 11, 2019, 9:12 a.m.

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited Japan last month, his third visit in less than three years. In Tokyo, Duterte collected close to $6 billion in bilateral investment deals, including infrastructure, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • 5G Applications Lag | June 10, 2019, 9:20 a.m.

    South Korea, the U.S. and Japan lead the rollout of 5G networks, but industry leaders say that applications designed to use the next-generation technology are years away, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • China, Russia Sign 5G, Energy Deals | June 7, 2019, 9:02 a.m.

    Chinese and Russian enterprises signed roughly $20B in business deals in Moscow on Wednesday. Much of the deals focused on the energy sector and 5G mobile technology, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Japan Plans $925M Infrastructure Fund | June 6, 2019, 9:04 a.m.

    Japan's MUFG Bank will set up a $924.4 million fund - the largest-ever such fund by a Japanese bank - to invest in infrastructure projects overseas by the end of 2019. The fund will target renewable energy and transportation projects, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Japan Shuns Huawei 5G | June 5, 2019, 9:37 a.m.

    Rakuten, Japan's newest wireless carrier has chosen NEC Corp., a domestic supplier, to build out its 5G network as carriers in Japan and elsewhere shun equipment made by China's Huawei Technologies, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • China Nears 5G Rollout | June 4, 2019, 9:38 a.m.

    China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is expected to issue 5G licenses to the state-owned China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom as early as this month, accelerating the country's 5G rollout, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • G-20 to Sign Infrastructure Guidelines | June 3, 2019, 9:17 a.m.

    At this week's Group of 20 meeting in Japan, finance ministers and central bankers are expected to sign sustainable infrastructure investment guidelines to help prevent developing economies from taking on dangerous amounts of debt, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Laos: PM Rejects China Debt Concerns | May 31, 2019, 8:57 a.m.

    Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith on Friday pushed back against warnings about his government's debt to China. The government has "its own measures to manage the debt and ensure balance in the public debt sector," Thongloun said, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Mahathir Supports Huawei | May 30, 2019, 9:18 a.m.

    Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country would use Huawei equipment "as much as possible" in Malaysia's 5G network, despite U.S. warnings that it is not secure, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • US-China Rivalry Boosts SE Asia Infrastructure | May 29, 2019, 9:16 a.m.

    Cambodia and other nations across Southeast Asia are emerging as vital staging grounds for a new form of power struggle between China and its rivals. The growth of Beijing's vast Belt and Road Initiative since 2013 has galvanized the U.S. and its allies -- including Japan, India and Australia -- and prompted them to draw up infrastructure and security programs of their own, writes Gwen Robinson for the Nikkei Asian Review

  • Huawei Advances Undersea Cables | May 28, 2019, 9:05 a.m.

    Chinese telecom giant Huawei's strides in undersea cables, a critical component of telecom infrastructure, is raising alarm in the U.S., Japan, and Australia. Huawei is said to be involved in around 30 undersea cable projects at the moment, Nikkei reports.

  • Modi Pledges $1.43T for Infrastructure | May 24, 2019, 9:06 a.m.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged $1.4tn in infrastructure spending for his second term. Modi's infrastructure plan includes 60,000 km of national highways and increasing support for rural development, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Beijing Shoulders BRI Debt | May 23, 2019, 9:34 a.m.

    Belt and Road recipients are pushing to re-negotiate loan terms with Chinese banks, potentially shifting more of the BRI's financial burden on Beijing. As China's investments grow in Belt and Road countries, it risks losing its bargaining power as its sunk costs rise, reports Nikkei.

  • China Nears Commercial 5G | May 22, 2019, 10:18 a.m.

    China Mobile, the world's largest mobile service provider by subscribers, expects to secure a license for commercial 5G services later this year. The company is closely watching developments related to U.S. restrictions on telecommunications equipment from Huawei Technologies, which is expected to play a crucial role in the rollout of 5G, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Malaysia and Singapore Delay Rail | May 21, 2019, 9:03 a.m.

    Transportation ministers from Malaysia and Singapore have signed a supplementary agreement deferring the four-kilometers, cross-border Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) until September. The $1 billion rail link was originally aimed at reducing congestion at the countries' border, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Cambodia Years from 5G | May 20, 2019, 9:18 a.m.

    Cambodian state-owned telecommunications companies have teamed up with China's Huawei to roll out a 5G network in 2020. However, experts say it could be years before 5G reaches ordinary Cambodians due to the scale of investment needed and the high cost of 5G handsets, reports Nikkei.

  • China Sees Greece as BRI Ally | May 17, 2019, 9:22 a.m.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos, calling on Greece to help promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Europe. Beijing is seeking support for BRI from within the European Union as Europe's trade and investment relations with China expand, reports Nikkei.

  • Europe Allows Huawei 5G | May 16, 2019, 9:16 a.m.

    Some European countries are allowing equipment from China's Huawei into their 5G networks. A full ban is not seen as cost-efficient where Huawei gear is already incorporated into national 4G wireless infrastructure, reports Nikkei.

  • U.S. Nears Huawei Ban | May 15, 2019, 9:54 a.m.

    U.S. president Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week barring U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by firms posing a national security risk, paving the way for a ban on doing business with China's Huawei according to three U.S. officials familiar with the plan, Nikkei reports.

  • Asian Lenders Halt Coal Funds | May 14, 2019, 9:23 a.m.

    The biggest commercial bank in Japan is one of the latest Asian lenders to consider a ban on funding for new coal-fired power stations. Asian banks are recognizing the global threat from climate change and pulling back financing for the world's most carbon-intensive energy source, Nikkei reports.

  • China Repairs BRI Partnerships | May 13, 2019, 9:10 a.m.

    Beijing is striking a conciliatory tone abroad to repair ties with Belt and Road partners, particularly in Southeast Asia where negotiations with Chinese companies over halted infrastructure projects are restarting, Nikkei reports.

  • Thailand Pushes 5G Rollout | May 10, 2019, 9:05 a.m.

    Last month, the Thai junta issued an order granting loan extensions of 60 million baht to three major telecom operators to stimulate 5G rollout. However, the loan extensions may not be enough to prod the companies into action, as 5G development could wind up costing as much as 100 billion baht, reports Nikkei.

  • Japan's G20 Infrastructure Push | May 8, 2019, 10:22 a.m.

    As this year's host of the Group of 20 countries, Tokyo is taking the opportunity to push a novel idea: quality infrastructure investment, or QII, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Philippines Election to Determine China Ties | May 7, 2019, 9 a.m.

    President Rodrigo Duterte's senatorial candidates could sweep the midterm elections in the Philippines next week. The midterm polls are widely seen as a referendum on Duterte and his policies, including his moves to further embrace China as a key funder of the country's ambitious infrastructure projects, reports Nikkei.

  • ASEAN+3 to Insure Infrastructure Financing | May 6, 2019, 9:08 a.m.

    ASEAN members plus China, Japan and South Korea agreed to create a framework insuring private funding for infrastructure projects of up to $1.5 billion under a new program to be called the Infrastructure Investors Partnership, reports Nikkei.

  • ADB to Limit China Funding | May 3, 2019, 9:06 a.m.

    The Asian Development Bank's President, Takehiko Nakao, has said the ADB is limiting the amount of funding it provides to China. Nakao noted that China is "becoming a country that can raise money by issuing its own debt" through projects such as the Belt and Road Initative, reports the Nikkei Asian Review

  • Thailand Pushes China-Funded Rail | May 2, 2019, 9:09 a.m.

    Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Laos and China to accelerate the construction of a much delayed high-speed rail line between northeast Thailand and Vientiane in Laos, reports Nikkei.

  • View All Analysis | May 1, 2019, 11:52 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.

  • Experts: China's BRI Requires Global Norms | May 1, 2019, 9:19 a.m.

    If China's push to build a massive, continent-spanning economic zone is to yield true benefits for all involved, Beijing must shift its policy course and embrace internationally accepted norms for the BRI, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • China Constructs Debt-Free Road in Cambodia | April 30, 2019, 9:17 a.m.

    A Chinese state construction company is building Cambodia's first expressway which will connect Phnom Penh with the southern coastal city of Sihanoukville. China Road and Bridge Corp. will finance the nearly $2 billion project in an arrangement meant to help China avoid international accusations of predatory lending to developing countries, reports Nikkei.

  • China Looks West for BRI Partners | April 29, 2019, 9:08 a.m.

    China announced on Saturday that two more non-Asian nations, Switzerland and Peru, have signed on to its Belt and Road Initiative. As Asian Belt and Road participants view with initiative with increasing skepticism, China is looking elsewhere for supportive partners, reports Nikkei.

  • Xi Pledges Belt and Road Reboot | April 26, 2019, 9:09 a.m.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to reboot his country's flagship Belt and Road Initiative during the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Xi called for "zero tolerance" of corruption and said China would ensure more transparency for the initiative, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Italy Commits to Japan's Infrastructure Principles | April 25, 2019, 9:13 a.m.

    Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Italian PM Giuseppe Conte agreed to uphold Japan's four conditions for high-quality infrastructure during a bilateral summit in Rome. Italy recently signed on to China's Belt and Road Initiative, sparking concerns the country would fall prey to "debt-trap diplomacy," reports Nikkei.

  • UK Bans Huawei from 5G Core | April 24, 2019, 9:21 a.m.

    The United Kingdom's National Security Council has barred Huawei Technologies from supplying equipment for sensitive "core" components of its 5G network. However, Prime Minister Theresa May has accepted the National Cyber Security Center's conclusion that the risk from Huawei's participation can be mitigated, and thus will allow the company to contribute equipment to "non-core" parts of the network, reports Nikkei.

  • Thai-Cambodia Rail Reopens | April 23, 2019, 9:08 a.m.

    After a 45-year hiatus, Thailand and Cambodia reopened their cross-border railway service on Monday. With the rail service connecting the border town of Aranyaprathet in Thailand with Poipet in Cambodia, train passengers can now travel between the capitals of Bangkok and Phnom Penh, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Solomon Islands Debates BRI | April 22, 2019, 9:10 a.m.

    The Solomon Islands may elect a pro-China prime minister as its seeks infrastructure investments from China. The South Pacific nation does not want to be left behind as neighbors Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu benefit from their participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, reports Nikkei.

  • Abu Dhabi Eyes Asian Infrastructure | April 19, 2019, 9:28 a.m.

    Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala Investment Co., is looking to invest in Asian technology and infrastructure, Nikkei reports.

  • Abe offers Eastern Europe BRI Alternative | April 18, 2019, 9:10 a.m.

    Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Slovakia later this month, where he plans to offer Eastern European leaders Japanese-financed infrastructure investments. Abe is expected to raise concerns about China's so-called debt-trap diplomacy, presenting Japan's approach as an alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative, reports Nikkei.

  • China Presses Japan to Drop Huawei Ban | April 17, 2019, 9:27 a.m.

    China's foreign minister Wang Yi pressed the Japanese government to reverse a ban on Huawei from competing for Japan's 5G procurement contracts. This development comes as the Chinese government steps in to defend Huawei against a campaign by the United States pushing allies to exclude the company's equipment from their 5G networks out of national security concerns, reports Nikkei.

  • Germany Says Huawei Can Stay in 5G Race | April 16, 2019, 9:03 a.m.

    Germany’s telecoms regulator has given the clearest signal yet that equipment maker Huawei will not be excluded from the country’s 5G network roll-out, despite fierce pressure from the US to shut out the controversial Chinese supplier for security reasons, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Maldives Votes to Investigate BRI | April 15, 2019, 9:15 a.m.

    Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's political party has won a super majority in the country's parliamentary elections. The president's party ran on an anti-corruption message that stressed the need to investigate Chinese-financed infrastructure projects that have dramatically increased the country's debt-burned, reports Nikkei.

  • China Cuts Malaysian Rail Cost | April 12, 2019, 9:03 a.m.

    Malaysia and China agreed on Friday to resume construction of the multi-billion dollar East Coast Rail Link project after months of negotiations that strained ties between the two trade partners. The two sides have agreed to cut the cost of the 688km rail project to $10.7 billion, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Japan Prepares for 5G | April 11, 2019, 9:13 a.m.

    Major Japanese companies across industrial sectors are signing partnerships with Japanese telecommunication firms to develop products and services that make use of the super-charged national 5G network, set to open in 2020. The Japanese government is encouraging these partnerships, claiming that 5G will be the "basic infrastructure" of the 21st century, reports Nikkei.

  • Malaysia Rail Project in Limbo | April 10, 2019, 9:41 a.m.

    China Communications Construction Co. executives on Wednesday reiterated the infrastructure company has not given up on the multibillion-dollar East Coast Rail Link in Malaysia, on which development work has been suspended for months amid doubts over the project's financial viability, reports Nikkei.

  • BRI Support Wanes in Maldives | April 9, 2019, 9:07 a.m.

    Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has gained support for his efforts to loosen the Maldives' economic bonds with China after his party won a wide majority in parliamentary elections over the weekend. President Solih has recommended a probe into China-led Belt and Road infrastructure projects negotiated under his predecessor due to corruption allegations, Nikkei reports.

  • Huawei Woos India with 5G | April 8, 2019, 8:58 a.m.

    Huawei has mounted a full-court press to allay India's security concerns about adopting the Chinese telecommunication company's 5G equipment. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan's enthusiastic integration of Huawei's low-cost equipment into their mobile networks has been heralded by the company as examples of why New Dehli's concerns are overblown, reports Nikkei.

  • South Korea and US Battle Over 5G Title | April 5, 2019, 9:07 a.m.

    A bitter battle has broken out between U.S. and South Korean telecom companies as each side claims to have launched the world's first commercial 5G network. Verizon accused South Korea's big three carriers (SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus) of a "PR stunt" after they pulled forward a launch planned for Friday, in a bid to claim the title, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.

  • Singapore to Expand Underground Infrastructure | April 4, 2019, 9:42 a.m.

    As Singapore's population grows, the city-state's Urban Redevelopment Authority has announced a plan to expand its urban infrastructure underground. Singapore's geographic constraints demand creative thinking from its government about how to further build out its infrastructure, reports Nikkei.