Archives: May 2009

Treasury Secretary Geithner Faces Tough Talks in China

Posted by: Dexter Roberts on May 29

Beneath the usual diplomatic niceties, there is likely to be some real friction as U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner meets top Chinese officials in Beijing early next week. Premier Wen...

As hybrids go mainstream, Toyota, Honda rush to produce smaller models

Posted by: Ian Rowley on May 27

In Japan, it's getting difficult to make the case that hybrids are a niche for drivers keen to demonstrate their environmental credentials. In April, Honda's new Insight, which want on...

India's Ranbaxy Gives Headache To Japanese Drugmaking Parent

Posted by: Mehul Srivastava on May 27

Over the weekend, Malvinder Singh, the chairman of India’s Ranbaxy Laboratories, which is a major generics supplier to the US and Europe, resigned, taking two friendly members of the board...

Philippines IT Outsourcing Booming

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 26

It’s tough not to feel upbeat sitting aboard a plane making its approach to Cebu, the second largest city in Philippines. With its lush, emerald green hills, a gentle surf...

Roh’s Death Underlines Political Immaturity in Korea

Posted by: Ihlwan Moon on May 22

Former South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun’s suicide on May 23 is a vivid reminder that the country has a long way to go to reach political maturity. True, Korea...

ZTE Gets Another Boost as it Targets Motorola

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 22

A few weeks ago I wrote in the magazine about ZTE, the Chinese telecom equipment maker that has come from nowhere to gain the No. 6 spot in the global...

Could Lenovo and Acer Team Up?

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 21

More bad news for Lenovo. China’s top PC company today announced it lost $264 million in the quarter ended March 31. The loss was no surprise, given the awful state...

Snip, Snip, Snip: Sony Cuts Supply Chain Costs

Posted by: Kenji Hall on May 21

Barely a month in his new post, Sony Executive Deputy President Yutaka Nakagawa is already earning his keep. Since April, it has been Nakagawa’s job to drastically overhaul the company's...

China's Yuan a Reserve Currency?

Posted by: Dexter Roberts on May 20

China’s ambition to make its currency more powerful globally was on display, once again, on Wednesday. This time an official in the China Banking Regulatory Commission said that his country's...

Japan's Economy Shrinks A Record 15.2%

Posted by: Kenji Hall on May 20

How bad is the recession in Japan? Today, the government announced that from January to March the economy shrank 4%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2008, for an annualized...

In Bangalore, The Party Returns. (Slowly, Though)

Posted by: Mehul Srivastava on May 20

In Bangalore tonight, the party is on. Just not till really late, and not really wild. Today’s newspapers carried the happy news that restaurants and bars can once again stay...

China and Brazil: Dump the Dollar

Posted by: Dexter Roberts on May 19

It is just the latest sign that China and other developing nations are increasingly ready to challenge the currency status quo. Just before beginning his three-day visit to China, Brazilian...

Beijing Hotel Fire's Next Victim

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 18

I’m not usually one to praise the Chinese government for the way it handles major screw ups, but give Beijing’s leaders credit for making heads roll after the February fire...

India's Elections Reveal New Trends

Posted by: Mehul Srivastava on May 16

After India’s colorful and chaotic election ended Saturday, where still-incomplete results saw the Congress party squeeze out spectacular gains to emerge as the largest single winner, the soul-searching and analysis...

Indian Voters Return Congress Coalition To Power

Posted by: Mehul Srivastava on May 16

India’s ruling Congress-led coalition pulled far ahead of its opposition as votes were counted Saturday, clawing a victory much greater than exit polls and analysts had predicted. The party and...

China's Huawei is Number One

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 15

Here's some news that should bring smiles to the faces of China's leaders. Huawei Technologies, the Shenzhen-based company that is the largest maker of telecom equipment in China, has now...

Hitachi Expects More Losses

Posted by: Kenji Hall on May 13

Hitachi is one troubled company. The Japanese tech conglomerate’s shares dropped 11% today--its biggest decline since early February, according to financial wire reports—after it said yesterday that it now expects...

A Michelle Obama Bump

Posted by: Administrator on May 12

Editor’s Note: This blog post has been corrected and updated with additional information regarding the White House response. Not since Jacqueline Kennedy’s time in Camelot has a First Lady developed...

Swine Flu Infection in China Raises Fears

Posted by: Dexter Roberts on May 11

Just when fears of a pandemic seemed to be abating, China has reported its first case. On May 11, the government announced that it had quarantined a 30-year-old man suspected...

Foreign Media Harassed in China Earthquake Zone

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 10

A year ago, when Sichuan province was hit by a massive earthquake, China loosened restrictions on foreign media, a move welcomed by human rights advocates who normally pillory China for...

China Fines Non-Smokers

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 10

Here's an interesting twist on smoking and fines: in Gongan county of China's Hubei province, local authorities have imposed fines on civil servants who don't smoke their fair share of...

U.S. Backlash Against China's 'Stupid' Swine Flu Policy

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 07

You know you have a good backlash brewing when Sen. Chuck Grassley weighs in. The Iowa Republican, who hit the headlines during the uproar over the AIG bonuses by saying...

Obama vs. Outsourcing

Posted by: Mehul Srivastava on May 06

While American companies are up in arms about U.S. President Barack Obama’s new tax plans, Indian companies are just plain confused. Take, for instance, his fixation on Bangalore. Talking about...

Swine Flu and a China-Mexico Brouhaha

Posted by: Dexter Roberts on May 05

An airplane from Mexico is landing in China today in hopes of beginning to unravel a diplomatic brouhaha involving the two countries. After first stopping in Shanghai, it reportedly will...

Tennis Legend Martina Navratilova as Performance Artist?

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 05

I was never able to afford tickets to watch tennis legend Martina Navratilova play when she was in her prime, but it looks like I'll be getting the equivalent of...

Arcelor Mittal $8 billion Indonesian deal goes sour

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 05

We rarely write about Indonesia in the Eye on Asia blog, and when we do, it’s usually prompted by bad news. Well, today’s posting will continue in that tradition I’m...

Swine Flu Finally Hits Hong Kong

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 04

The swine flu outbreak has thrown many of my Hong Kong neighbors off their stride. Hong Kong, after all, is used to being at center stage of global health scares....

Macao Should Ban Smoking in Casinos

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 03

At first glance, the move by Macao authorities to increase the excise tax on cigarettes by 300% sounds like a big victory for health advocates. The Framework Convention for Tobacco...

Japanese Investors Dumpster Dive For Junk (Bonds)

Posted by: Kenji Hall on May 01

The global financial crisis left many Japanese investors with a lot less than they started off with. Japanese investment trust funds--which are similar to mutual funds in the U.S.--lost 37%...

Chinese Economy Gaining Steam

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on May 01

Here’s the latest evidence that China's economy is gaining steam and that the government’s pump priming is starting to pay off. China's Purchasing Managers Index, or PMI, issued on May...

Taiwan and China Mover Closer to Normal

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on May 01

There are some good things that come out of economic crises. We saw one the other day, with the Taiwanese government on Wednesday giving the green light for China Mobile...