Browse our analysis section for news and articles on topics such as China's Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), the world's evolving digital infrastructure competition, and the stakes for U.S. policy.
This series of case studies underscores the poor state of North Korea’s existing energy infrastructure, illustrates different models for delivering projects, and considers the strategic implications of different paths forward for the peninsula's energy connections.
The U.S. ban on supplying Huawei could take a $26 billion yearly toll on tech manufacturers in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, Nikkei reports.
As fifth-generation wireless networks start to go mainstream, competition to develop 6G has begun, with South Korea's Samsung Electronics and China's Huawei Technologies at the forefront, Nikkei reports.
South Korean conglomerate Samsung is seeking increased cooperation with Huawei on key technology despite U.S. restrictions and security concerns surrounding the Chinese firm, Nikkei reports.
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.
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.
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.
China and the U.S. are better prepared for the 5G mobile era than any other country, even though South Korea is about to become the first to launch the super fast communications services this week, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Should inter-Korean cooperation result in the re-joining of North and South Korea's railways, it could connect the peninsula through China and Russia to a rail network that spans Eurasia. However, such connections will require a long and costly modernization process to fully integrate the systems in a commercially viable way, complicating the future of these potentially transformative links.
Reconnecting Asia tracks infrastructure developments across Eurasia, a vast landmass that includes 60 percent of the global economy. Every day, new infrastructure projects are announced, some are advanced, and others encounter obstacles. Here is a selection of projects and trends we will be watching in 2019.
North and South Korea are pushing railway cooperation as an engine for advancing inter-Korean relations. Railway connections could integrate the peninsula into a network that spans the continent, marking a significant diplomatic and geopolitical accomplishment. However, significant obstacles still remain.
Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina announced the signing of a $4 billion contract with two South Korean firms for a major upgrade of the Balikpapan refinery in East Kalimantan province, one of six mega refinery projects aimed at increasing Indonesia's fuel production capacity and reducing reliance on imports.
Indian cities are vastly expanding their subway networks to reduce road congestion and gasoline consumption. The Delhi Metro is expected to reach 378 kilometers of track this year, catching up with New York--the world's fourth-largest subway system.
South and North Korea will launch a field study on Friday to relink railways cut since the 1950-53 Korean conflict, after the U.N. Security Council granted sanctions exemptions last week, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
South Korea has received sanctions exemption from the United Nations Security Council for a joint survey of inter-Korean railways, the first step towards reconnecting rail and road links of the two Koreas since the 1950-53 Korean War.
On September 18, 2018, the Reconnecting Asia Project and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) hosted “Looking North: Korea in a Reconnecting Asia,” a half-day conference that explored Korea’s ambitious plans for connectivity.
Due to highly anticipated infrastructure development and manufacturing potential in North Korea, South Korean banks are rushing to hire experts on North Korea.
North and South Korea have agreed to improve two roads in the North, the Route Donghae on the east coast and the Route Gyeongeui in the western interior, paving the way to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries.
Warming ties between North and South Korea have raised hopes for investment in North Korean and inter-Korean railways. South Korea has begun tentative preparations for the construction and modernization of railway connections along the North Korean Coast, paving the way for future economic cooperation between the two Koreas.
In the face of uncertainty about how the U.S. and China will respond to regional challenges, South Korea will likely continue to opt for flexible partnerships, such as with Russia, where specific interests overlap or converge.
During his recent trip to Beijing, South Korean president Moon Jae-in sought to advance his “New Northern Policy." As Moon's regional vision comes into focus, its most profound implications could be long term.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is to start a four-day state visit to China starting today.
At a recent meeting, the foreign ministers of the ASEAN countries along with Japan, China, and South Korea held discussions on the region's infrastructure and maritime order.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is preparing to hold its second annual meeting on June 16 - 18 in Jeju South Korea.
Quotes and Quotas is a weekly digest of phrases and facts that help explain Asia’s infrastructure push.
South Korean companies are investing heavily in Turkey, including a number of large-scale Infrastructure projects, taking advantage of a free trade agreement that took effect in 2013.
Autonomous vehicles have the potential to re-shape the continent of Asia’s economic geography, but they face infrastructure challenges unique to the region.
A selection of the top projects we’re watching this year.