Foreigners Boost U.S. Shale Gas Boom

It’s not just Chinese firms that are seeking to profit from America’s energy boom. Roughly 20 percent of the $133.7 billion invested in U.S. tight oil and shale gas from 2008 to 2012 came from abroad. To date, from Asia, Japanese companies have invested $5.3 billion; Indian companies $3.55 billion; and Korean companies $1.55 billion. […]

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Battered in China, Japan Inc. Looks to Southeast Asia

As China and Japan fight over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, Yeap Swee Chuan is benefiting. Yeap is president and chief executive officer of Aapico Hitech, a Thai auto parts maker that supplies Toyota and Honda as well as small and midsize Japanese companies. The company’s stock price has more than doubled in the […]

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The Coming Economic Shift?

The dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku / Diaoyu islandscontinues to simmer. Even as International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde warned about the dangers to the global economyshould the dispute escalate, the fallout from the squabble continues to build momentum.  There was always going to be a risk of economic consequences for both […]

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Rewards Of A National Brand

“Brand Japan” has long benefited from the strength of Japanese companies in industries as diverse as automotives and music, or “J-pop.” The recent situation in China shows how that close association can also hurt businesses when nationalist sentiments go against them. As big businesses — fairly or unfairly — become the short-term targets of populist […]

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Asia Can Afford To Worry (A Little) Less About Economic Reprisals From China

China appears ever more willing to use its economic muscle to strategic ends. Japan is the most recent target, as tensions flare over a maritime territorial dispute. Customs processing has been delayed for some Japanese goods, and visas are somewhat less forthcoming. There are concerns about consumer boycotts, especially of Japanese cars. It’s reasonable to […]

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