Welcome to Your Week in Asia.
Japanese leader Shigeru Ishiba is in Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump this week, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visits Beijing to meet with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping while Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong heads to court over a stock manipulation and accounting fraud case.
Japan Inc. publishes a string of earnings results, India holds a key policy meeting and Indonesia reports its full-year economic growth figures.
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MONDAY
Samsung chief in court
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong faces an appeals court ruling on charges of stock manipulation and accounting fraud linked to the merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015. Prosecutors have demanded that the Seoul High Court sentence Lee to five years in prison, after he was acquitted of the charges in a district court last year.
Japan Inc. earnings
Japanese automakers including Toyota and Mitsubishi Motors are among a string of companies reporting their latest financial results this week, with analysts and investors keeping a close eye on any changes to their strategy for the U.S. vehicle market under the new Trump administration.
Earnings: Mizuho, Posco
TUESDAY
Lunar New Year spending
China is expected to reveal data on domestic travel and spending over the Lunar New Year holidays as early as Tuesday, offering a barometer of consumer demand at a critical moment for the country’s sluggish economy.
Earnings: Nintendo, Mitsubishi Heavy, MUFG
WEDNESDAY
Indonesia economy
Indonesia announces its fourth-quarter and full-year GDP figures. The country’s central bank has forecast that the October-December period would see a slower expansion than previously projected owing to weaker consumption and investment. Policymakers estimated that full-year GDP growth would come in below the midpoint of a 4.7% to 5.5% range.
Indian capital’s polls
India’s national capital territory goes to polls with a tense three-way contest expected between Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the country’s main opposition Indian National Congress. More than 15.5 million people are registered to vote in the election for 70 constituencies of the Delhi assembly.
Thai PM in China
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra meets Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of a four-day visit to Beijing, marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations. Paetongtarn is looking to reassure Chinese tourists that they will be safe in Thailand after the recent high-profile disappearances of visitors along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Earnings: Toyota, KDDI, Keppel
THURSDAY
Earnings: Mitsubishi Corp., Nippon Steel, Suzuki, Singapore Exchange Ltd.
FRIDAY
Japan PM’s first meeting with Trump
Japan’s prime minister visits Washington to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time. The leaders are expected to discuss strengthening security cooperation and economic issues. Ishiba will also be seeking Trump’s cooperation in resolving a long-running dispute with North Korea over its abduction of Japanese citizens in the ’70s and ’80s.
India policy meeting
A new-look monetary policy committee at the Reserve Bank of India, with five new members in a committee of six — including a new governor — is set to announce its latest interest rate decision. Expectations for a rate cut are running high as India grapples with slowing economic growth. The government has forecasted a 6.4% expansion in the fiscal year to March, the slowest rate in four years.
Earnings: Mazda, Subaru
