TOKYO -- China's curbs on carbon-intensive industries and the ensuing energy crisis have scrambled supply and demand calculations for some of the world's key commodities, sending prices on a wild ride that market players say may not yet be over.

Directives from Beijing this year have crashed prices for iron ore and inflated those for aluminum, among others, but disruption in the country's industrial heartland and concern about the property sector leave some predicting more policy swerves.

With the government of President Xi Jinping determined to

BANGKOK -- China's and Taiwan's applications to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement -- which came six days apart in September -- stirred up waves in the Taiwan Strait and sent ripples across much wider oceans.

Beijing, which insists Taiwan is a part of "one China," is "absolutely opposed to any country officially engaging in talks with Taiwan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

Taiwanese Economic Affairs Minister Wang Mei-hua, meanwhile, drew a contrast between her island

SRINAGAR, India -- When Supinder Kaur, a 46-year-old Sikh mother of two, made breakfast before heading to a local school where she served as principal, she had no idea it would be the last meal she would make for her family.

Kaur was shot dead just hours after saying goodbye to her seven-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. Militants stormed her school on the outskirts of Srinagar on Oct. 7, checked the IDs of teachers and staff to

TOKYO -- Masahiro Ito uses the term "Tesla of the Sea" when he talks about his Tokyo-based startup revolutionizing the economics of wind power.

Ito built up some tech startup bona fides during his time as chief operating officer of Zozo, which operates Japan's Zozotown online clothier. The platform's Zozosuit, which customers put on so they can be photographed and measured for size, takes the guesswork out of ordering clothes online.

But Zozo's fashion-tech innovations will look like baby steps if

SHANGHAI -- Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings have begun allowing links to rival services in their respective app ecosystems, chipping away at one of the underpinnings of their near-duopoly on China's internet sector.

Alibaba services such as food delivery platform Ele.me and video streaming site Youku Tudou now accept payment through Tencent's WeChat super app. Other apps, including that of supermarket chain Freshippo, have also applied for WeChat Pay support, according to local media.

The change of heart comes amid Beijing's

TOKYO -- For many harried commuters in the morning, a steaming cup of coffee is the only way to start a productive day, and the quicker they can get one, the better. In Japan, a java-brewing robot is making that easier.

Now customers at Tokyo's Shimbashi Station can have a freshly brewed cup tailored to their tastes waiting for them when they arrive -- all with no human barista in sight.

The Root C machine, which came online in September, lets users order via app

SYDNEY -- Commodity price trends, China's energy crisis and evolving Asia-Pacific defense alliances appear to be helping Australia weather its long-running confrontation with Beijing, despite significant pressure on some segments of its economy.

Nearly 18 months after Prime Minister Scott Morrison's call for an international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 soured relations with Beijing, analysts say Australia looks to have suffered only a limited economic hit from Chinese trade sanctions and other pressure. Australia has even managed to widen its trade

TOKYO -- Japan will establish a 100 billion yen ($875 million) fund to help accelerate research and development of advanced technologies and enhance economic security, Nikkei has learned.

The government plans to kick off the fund next year. It will be the country's first fund dedicated to economic security. Investments will go into artificial intelligence and quantum technology, biotechnology, and robotics -- all of which have military applications.

Newly elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to double down on economic security

WASHINGTON -- Normalization of monetary policy will be gradual, well communicated and not a source of turmoil, Vitor Gaspar, director of fiscal affairs at the International Monetary Fund, told Nikkei in an interview.

Edited excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: The Federal Reserve will soon start tapering its asset purchases and may raise interest rates next year. While countries around the world accumulate debt, what is the risk of monetary tightening?

A: Under our baseline, this recovery in economic activity and the return of economic activity back