Welcome to Your Week in Asia.

Asian leaders head to the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, the EU holds a mid-week vote over tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles while Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wraps up its leadership election on Friday. 

The corruption trial of Singapore’s former transport minister gets underway, Indonesia kicks off regional elections and auctioneer Christie’s puts a rare Van Gogh painting on the block in a sale esimated to fetch as much as $50 million. 

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MONDAY

Asia leaders at U.N. General Assembly 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the Asian leaders attending a U.N. General Assembly meeting. There is speculation that Pezeshkian will announce the restart of a stalled agreement that placed limits on Iran’s nuclear program.

Vietnam leader’s first U.S. visit

Vietnam’s new top leader To Lam is scheduled to speak at Columbia University when he visits the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly. The New York trip marks his debut on the global stage since becoming the fast-growing country’s Communist Party general secretary in July.

TUESDAY

Ex-Singapore minister on trial

Former Singapore Transport Minister S Iswaran’s trial on multiple charges of corruption is set to begin. The veteran politician from the ruling People’s Action Party allegedly received favors such as tickets to soccer matches, shows and events for a number of years from 2015. The case has cast a shadow over the PAP, which has built political support with its promise for clean governance, and which also faces a coming election, due by November 2025.

WEDNESDAY

EU vote on China EV tariffs

The European Union’s 27 members are due to vote on proposed final tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, as the bloc aims to counter Beijing’s subsidization of its EV industry. The two sides have continued to negotiate since the tariffs were announced in June, and the EU has trimmed the rates. At least 15 countries representing 65% of the bloc’s population have to support the tariff regime for it to be finalized and imposed for five years.

ADB development outlook

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) releases its flagship Asian Development Outlook, providing a crucial forecast for the region’s economic trajectory and shedding light on potential growth drivers and challenges. In previous reports this year, the ADB was bullish on the region’s prospects, despite economic weakness in China, supply chain bottlenecks and geopolitical tensions. 

Indonesia polls

A two-month campaign period begins for Indonesia’s regional head elections, including for governors in 37 provinces, as well as mayors and regents in more than 500 municipalities and regencies. The local polls will be held simultaneously nationwide for the first time on Nov. 27., setting the stage for up-and-coming politicians at the national level, especially in key provinces such as Jakarta, West Java and Central Java.

THURSDAY

Hong Kong sedition sentencing

The editors of defunct Hong Kong media outlet Stand News face sentencing after being convicted of sedition last month under a colonial-era law. The maximum penalty in the case — seen as a symbol of the city’s fast-declining media freedoms — would be two years in prison.

Tokyo Game Show

The Tokyo Game Show 2024 kicks off under the theme, “Trailblaze the World with Gaming.” A record-high number of exhibitors and booths are expected to participate, with more than half of registered exhibitors from overseas. 

Van Gogh, Monet paintings on block

Christie’s opens its new Asia headquarters in Hong Kong by auctioning off an array of artwork, including paintings by Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh, both of which are expected to fetch millions of dollars. The auction house is located in The Henderson, a gleaming new skyscraper in the city’s Central district designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

FRIDAY

Japan leadership race

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party starts counting ballots to pick a new leader who will succeed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. A record nine candidates are vying for the job with the winner set to become Japan’s 102nd prime minister. The largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party holds its leadership election earlier in the week.

SATURDAY

Tenth anniversary of Umbrella Movement

Over two months of mass protests in Hong Kong started on this day in 2014, with an official declaration of occupying the Central business district with a peaceful sit-in. Some students had already begun surrounding government buildings two days earlier, angry over backsliding away from genuine universal suffrage that would allow the city’s residents to choose their own leader.