Economy

24 September 2025
China said it will no longer seek any new "special and differential treatment" from developing-country status at the World Trade Organization.
United Nations Population Fund Acting Executive Director Diene Keita poses for a portrait after an interview on Aug. 20 in Yokohama. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Interview

Asia should promote choice on fertility, says UN Population Fund

A fifth of adults globally do not expect to have their desired number of children

3 September 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, center, speaks at a joint news conference in Yokohama on Aug. 22, following the conclusion of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. (Photo by Sae Kamae) 
22 August 2025
Motorcycle taxis in Nairobi. Japanese exports seek inroads into Africa's fast-growing consumer markets.
Trade

Japan eyes African trade deals to grow auto, other exports

Kenya, East African countries seen as 1st candidates for agreements

17 August 2025
Kenyan Investments, Trade and Industry Secretary Lee Kinyanjui spoke with Nikkei about his country's response to a growing trend toward protectionism. (Photo by Hidemitsu Kibe)
Interview

Kenya eyes Asian ties to counter US tariffs: trade minister

Kinyanjui calls for more intra-African commerce as Western economies turn inward

7 June 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, is due to meet with Kenyan counterpart William Ruto, left, and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev a week after he toured Southeast Asia, tightening Beijing's ties with developing countries. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
International relations

China woos trade war 'circle of friends' as Kenya, Azerbaijan leaders visit

Xi Jinping's outreach comes as U.S. wields tariffs and reins in aid

22 April 2025
Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, in his interview with Nikkei. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
Interview

'Buy Africa,' development bank president tells risk-shy Japan

Adesina argues region not being assessed fairly, including by ratings agencies

2 November 2024
More Ivory Coast farmers have switched from growing cacao beans to cultivating natural rubber.
Commodities

Thailand, Indonesia lose ground to Ivory Coast in rubber output

European sustainability regulations provide lift for West African country

30 October 2024
India is forecast to account for 20% of growth in global food consumption over the next decade as its economy and population grow.
Agriculture

India to drive food demand as China's appetite wanes: report

Reducing waste is critical as climate risks grow, says U.N. agency and OECD

9 July 2024
Xpeng holds a launch event in Cairo this June for two EV models in Egypt. (Xpeng)
Electric cars in China

China EV makers Neta, Xpeng turn to Africa amid European backlash

Emerging markets gain shine as Europe preps higher tariffs on China-built models

3 July 2024
Drivers push auto rickshaws in a line to buy gasoline from a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in July 2022 amid an economic crisis.
Economy

Developing countries face record interest payments as rates rise

Growing debt burden casts shadow over global economic outlook

12 June 2024
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, left, chairman of the African Union, speaks as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol listens during a joint news conference on June 4.
Supply Chain

South Korea woos African nations over critical mineral supplies

High-tech economy aims to cut reliance on China for lithium and graphite

5 June 2024
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar delivers a video address at the Future of Asia forum in Tokyo on May 24. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
The Future of Asia 2024

India seeks to extend influence in Middle East, Africa: Jaishankar

Foreign minister says country's transformation is crucial for building multipolar world

24 May 2024
A Senegalese farmer carries freshly harvest eggplants: India and Africa can strengthen agribusiness ties by channeling funds into agrotechnology.
Opinion

India is driving change by working together with Africa

Modi has taken lead in championing trade and investment links with the continent

2 November 2023
World Bank Managing Director of Operations Axel van Trotsenburg.
Interview

Climate action crucial to reducing poverty, World Bank official says

China's status could be discussed in next capital increase, van Trotsenburg says

13 October 2023
ASEAN Business Advisory Council Chairman Arsjad Rasjid: "What is important to see is that we are now looking at other nontraditional markets." (Photo by Bobby Nugroho).
Business trends

ASEAN courts Africa amid China slowdown: business council chief

Companies examine investment opportunities in 'nontraditional' markets

26 September 2023
Stream article image
Most read in 2023

China's Belt and Road at crossroads as more loans turn sour

10 years in, Beijing enjoys greater clout but new investments trend down

7 September 2023
Supporters of the junta in Niger gather for a rally on Aug. 3. The West African country has been in turmoil since the military seized power on July 26.
Politics

Niger tensions threaten Chinese projects, as dam building stops

Beijing tells citizens to leave, stoking fears PetroChina pipeline works may stall

11 August 2023
Raw ore taken from an industrial copper-cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Supply Chain

Japan builds supply chain for EV battery minerals in Africa

Tokyo eyes exploration with Zambia, Congo and Namibia to counter China

2 August 2023
Building a presence in Africa will help China's independently developed pharmaceutical products to enter the global market.
Caixin

Chinese drugmakers march into Africa

Foothold on the continent could give them sway in setting global standards

17 June 2023
Hiroshi Matano, executive vice president at the World Bank Group's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (Photo by Kosuke Takami)
Interview

Investment in developing nations may hit 20-year low: World Bank official

Private-sector money to poorest areas is sinking, agency chief warns

2 May 2023
Dong-E-E-Jiao's ejiao in a drugstore in Shanghai: Donkey hides are the source of the gelatin that is the main ingredient for the traditional Chinese medicine.
Opinion

China must tame its donkey trade for Africa's sake

Smugglers hurt continent's rural poor to meet demand for traditional medicine

2 April 2023
A woman holds a saucer and a bowl while her grandson looks on in Colombo in August 2022: Appropriate debt relief would give Sri Lanka fiscal space to provide social assistance.
Opinion

G-7 must lead the way in relieving poor nations' debt distress

Under Japan's leadership, group can stop crisis becoming human rights catastrophe

1 February 2023
A container port in Cape Town Docks, South Africa. Trade between Africa and China surged to a record high in 2022.
Trade

China-Africa trade soars on spike in commodity prices

Two-way commerce dwarfs that between U.S. and continent

27 January 2023
Raymond Managing Director Gautam Hari Singhania expects a spending spree at the company's network of around 1,400 clothing showrooms as India's wedding season kicks in. (Photo courtesy of Raymond)
Interview

India conglomerate Raymond expects boost from record wedding season

Clothing, textiles remain at company's core but also branching into other sectors

12 December 2022
People wade through a flooded street following heavy rain in the Philippines in October. The Asia-Pacific region has been hit hard by extreme weather this year.
COP27

AI weather forecaster sets sights on battered Asia-Pacific

CEO: Machine learning quickly adapts to extreme weather from climate change

20 November 2022
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the world is "on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator."
COP27

The world is on a 'highway to climate hell,' says U.N. chief

Developing country leaders seek 'loss and damage' compensation

8 November 2022
Mariama Kuyateh holds up a picture of her late son, who died from acute kidney failure, in Banjul, Gambia, on Oct. 10. Cough syrups made by an Indian company are under investigation in connection with dozens of similar deaths.
Pharmaceuticals

Gambia child deaths threaten India's 'pharmacy of world' position

Company suspended over cough syrups suspected in nearly 70 fatal cases

21 October 2022
Foreign currency reserves in countries such as Turkey are below levels the IMF considers safe.
Economy

Emerging-market debt breaches 250% of GDP, making it G-20 focus

Impact of strong dollar and rising interest rates likely to be on agenda

13 October 2022
Victims of flooding walk with their cattle in Sehwan, Pakistan, on Sept. 9: The country will be difficult to live in because of flooding within thirty years.
Opinion

Emerging problems can only be effectively addressed globally

Conflict within and between nations to grow as planet heats

21 September 2022