Asia - South China Morning Post

US President Donald Trump said he threatened India and Pakistan with 250 per cent tariffs to help spur the resolution of their conflict earlier this year, describing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the nicest-looking guy” who was also a “killer” eager to fight.

Trump made the comments on Wednesday while addressing a meeting of corporate leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for solving the four-day armed...

Economic growth across Southeast Asia is increasingly being overshadowed by widening inequality and entrenched corruption, with discontent now spilling onto the streets, according to a new Oxfam report released just a day after Asean leaders concluded their annual summit in Kuala Lumpur.

The study, titled “An Unequal Future: Asia’s Struggle for Justice in a Warming, Wired World” and released on Wednesday, found that the richest 10 per cent of Asians took between 60 and 77 per cent of national...

The deals that US President Donald Trump sealed with several Asean partners in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week have been called a “mixed blessing” by critics, with the long-term economic costs potentially outweighing the short-term trade benefits.

Trump finalised agreements on trade and critical minerals with four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday, including pacts with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to address trade barriers.

Washington maintained the 19 to...

A combination of favourable conditions – a weak yen, tourism growth and attractive rental yields – is driving unprecedented Singaporean interest in Japan’s property market.

Just a few years ago, FM Investment held sales events in Singapore for Japanese real estate once every couple of months. This year alone, the investment firm has organised at least 15 events for 12 boutique developments across Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto.

Even more striking is that Singaporeans have displaced Hong Kong...

Meta, the tech firm behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it continues to disagree with Malaysia’s social media licensing rules despite criticisms that its platforms carry content damaging to children and young people, and wants to hold talks with the government on the matter.

Malaysia imposed the framework for all social media and online messaging platforms in January that have at least 8 million local users each to curtail surging scam cases, online gambling and the spread of child...

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Japan’s new resolve to bolster its military a day after President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to deepen US-Japan defence ties.

“It’s wonderful,” Hegseth said on Wednesday of Tokyo’s intention to accelerate the timing of a planned increase in defence spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product, and to come up with additional plans for military investment.

Following a meeting with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro...

US President Donald Trump began the final leg of his Asia trip in South Korea on Wednesday, optimistic about striking a trade war truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping and advancing an unresolved tariff deal with South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung.

Arriving from Tokyo hours after North Korea test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile, Trump was treated to a lavish reception by President Lee on Wednesday in Gyeongju, a sleepy South Korean town hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation...

Mere hours before US President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea for this week’s Apec summit, Pyongyang launched a salvo of ship-based cruise missiles in an act analysts viewed as a calculated bid to reinforce its nuclear credentials.

The missiles, described by North Korean state media as enhanced models optimised for ship-based launches, were fired vertically on Tuesday, reportedly soaring for about 7,800 seconds – more than two hours – before striking their land-based target. Pyongyang...

Officials in the Philippines have hit back at the tirades of lawmaker Paolo Duterte, who accused the country’s armed forces of “gambling with Filipino lives” and called the military chief a “puppet of the CIA”.

Observers say the allegations from the son of former president Rodrigo Duterte are aimed at resuscitating old narratives and pro-Beijing talking points to undermine the current administration.

On Saturday, the younger Duterte published a statement on social media directed at Armed Forces...

A Japanese travel agency said on Tuesday it will launch a point-to-point transport service in the 2030s that would connect Tokyo and US cities like New York in 60 minutes via outer space.

The service, which Nippon Travel Agency plans to offer in partnership with a reusable rocket development start-up, would cost a customer 100 million yen (US$657,000) for a round trip.

The transport vehicle would be launched from an offshore spot and could connect any two points on Earth within 60 minutes,...