Asia - South China Morning Post

Beijing and New Delhi have taken another step towards normalising economic ties after a five-year rift, as China moves to introduce a simplified visa process for Indian nationals that could help it tap India’s fast-growing travel market.

The Chinese embassy in New Delhi said earlier this month that Indian citizens would be able to apply for visas online from December 22, sparing them time-consuming initial in-person visits to the embassy or other consular offices in the country.

The move follows...

Japan is expressing renewed concerns about foreign nationals buying land and property across the country, with growing alarm over the acquisition of property close to “sensitive sites” as well as overseas investors causing prices to spike beyond the reach of many Japanese.

A survey conducted by the Cabinet Office identified 113,827 property transactions in the year that started on April 1, 2024, in areas within 1km (0.6 miles) of a designated “critical facility”, such as a military base for...

In the space of a single week in early December, three household names in South Korean entertainment abruptly retreated from the spotlight.

Actor Cho Jin-woong announced his sudden retirement on December 6 after decades-old reports resurfaced online about his brief stint in juvenile detention.

Two days later, television host and comedian Park Na-rae suspended her broadcast appearances following claims she had mistreated staff and received unauthorised medical treatments.

And fellow comedian Cho...

A group of 31 Malaysians, victims of a job scam syndicate in Myawaddy, Myanmar, have been successfully repatriated following a high-level diplomatic operation, the Malay language daily Sinar Harian reported.

They arrived at the Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration complex near the Thai-Malaysian border at 6.50pm on Saturday. Upon arrival, they were immediately handed over to the Royal Malaysia Police for further investigation into the syndicate’s operations.

While the victims’ identities were confirmed...

The use of housing loans with terms of up to 50 years, far longer than the standard 35-year term, is spreading among younger generations in Japan amid a rise in housing prices.

Young Japanese are buying the properties of their choice by reducing monthly payments, but a longer loan term raises the total repayment amount and keeps company employees paying even after they retire.

The risk of interest rate fluctuations, caused by the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy shift, is another thing to worry...

Malaysian police busted a crime syndicate and seized US$375 million-worth of cocaine, ketamine and other drugs, calling it one of the country’s largest hauls to date.

Four sting operations around Kuala Lumpur netted more than four tonnes of cocaine and 14 tonnes of ketamine, as well as the synthetic drug MDMA and drug-making equipment, police said in a statement released on Saturday.

During Tuesday’s raids, police arrested six suspects: three local men and three foreign women.

Cars, forklifts...

One of the two alleged Bondi Beach shooters visited a gun store during their stay in the Philippines, police said on Saturday as they attempted to retrace the pair’s movements.

An Australian counterterrorism team is investigating whether Sajid Akram and his son Naveed met with Islamist extremists during a nearly month-long visit to the southern island of Mindanao before the mass shooting that killed 15 people in Sydney six days ago.

The staff of Davao City’s GV Hotel said this week that the two...

An obsession with “security” can create increasing insecurity. This paradox is being amply demonstrated as advanced nations, including the United States and Japan, take or contemplate joint action aimed at bolstering economic security but which could erode global economic growth and prosperity – or even result in physical conflict.

How might such threats crystallise? Strengthening security, whether economic or military, suggests increased defence spending to, for example, secure sea lanes and...

“Outraged” medical professionals across the Philippines are urging Congress to curb or scrap what they call “medical pork” – tax money for patient assistance that is channelled through politicians via personally signed guarantee letters – as lawmakers finalise the 2026 national budget.

At least 72 medical and health professional organisations have signed a joint petition denouncing the practice, arguing it allows politicians to influence who receives state medical aid in ways that can be used...

For much of the past year, Asian exporters have been racing to stay ahead of a global tariff storm – re-routing shipments, reconfiguring supply chains and absorbing rising costs as the United States tightened its trade barriers.

Now another pressure point is emerging. From the start of next year, Mexico plans to impose import duties of up to 50 per cent on a wide range of goods from Asia, threatening to choke off a key workaround companies have relied on to maintain access to the North American...