America’s hoped-for Asian semiconductor pact looks tricky
Democratic or not, Asia’s chipmakers are in competition with each other
Cranes tower over a bustling construction site on the edge of Kumamoto, a midsized city on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. Motivational banners hang from its scaffolding: “Always smile”. White fences line the perimeter, dividing the rising steel structures from nearby cabbage and carrot fields. There is little to suggest that this is one of Asia’s most geopolitically significant building sites.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Silicon islands in the storm”
From the February 4th 2023 edition
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Prabowo Subianto is drastically cutting Indonesia’s budget
The cash saved is going into a new fund he controls
The election in Tajikistan is unlikely to be democratic
Instead it will be a way for Emomali Rahmon, the president, to cement his rule
How overt religiosity became cool in India
The Maha Kumbh Mela shows how tradition has become trendy
The trouble with ancient Indians
India is rapidly ageing. It’s in for some surprises
Singapore’s leader of the opposition is convicted of lying
The city-state’s usually dull politics have taken a turn
Only Asia can help America counter China’s shipbuilding prowess
But will Donald Trump let it?