Friday, February 7 2025 | ASIA TODAY INTERNATIONAL - Reporting the Business that Matters in Asia
Trendlines
OIL: A new Silk Road —Middle East to Asia
A NEW silk road will emerge in coming years when nine of every 10 barrels of oil exported by the Middle East go to Asia.
Until recently, that figure was 50 per cent, but with the United States becoming increasingly self-sufficient, and Europe and other developed countries becoming more energy-efficient,
Protectionism back on radar as trade talks stall
PASCAL LAMY is resigned to the fact that global trade negotiations will continue to drift aimlessly, but he is also concerned about potential threats to rules that regulate world trade. Lamy says new issues, such as export restrictions, are emerging. “Export restrictions were not on the radar screen 10 years ago,” the Director-General of the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation, told ATI.
Shinkansen suppliers eye Australian HSR prospects
SYDNEY — Leading Japanese heavy equipment companies, including Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba and Hitachi, are eyeing a mooted high speed railway for Australia.
"We understand the plan to build a Brisbane-Melbourne high speed rail is under discussion," says Toshihiro Yamakoshi, Director of the Office of Project Development at Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.