| Hello from Bangkok. I am here to attend Nikkei Asia's first offline -- or, more precisely, a hybrid offline-online -- annual general meeting for our reporters and editors across Asia since December 2019. It is always great to see my colleagues in person and have face-to-face conversations with them, even if it means having to listen to their complaints about rising living costs and worries about safe reporting. When it comes to such concerns, Asia is not an exception. Like anywhere else, we cannot escape from the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine and the prevalence of autocracies. The meeting had to be a hybrid one because my colleagues in mainland China could not attend in person. Those who leave the country must remain in quarantine for a certain period upon their return. That raises the risk of being trapped in -- or locked out of -- the city in which they are based if a COVID-19 case is found there. We recently witnessed this with the lockdown of Shanghai Disney Resort. In Bangkok, one of the biggest changes I've observed compared with three years ago is the proliferation of "medical use" cannabis shops. From reading our own articles, I knew what to expect, but actually being here helps me truly understand the reality. Seeing is indeed believing. For a glimpse of the city from a slightly unique angle, and to feel the gentle breeze along the Chao Phraya River, I recommend a story on Narisa Chakrabongse, granddaughter of a Thai prince and great-granddaughter of King Rama V, known as King Chulalongkorn. Her life reflects the complex history of the diplomatically neutral kingdom. Our team had a wonderful gathering with her. Moving on to this week's feature stories, The Big Story is a good curtain raiser for the upcoming COP27 summit in Egypt. The author, Sayumi Take, asks the question: Who should pay the cost of global warming? I also recommend another Big Story of ours published in September on "climate justice." In our Market Spotlight feature from Hong Kong, Echo Wong and Cissy Zhou report on investors' disappointment with China's new Politburo Standing Committee. Market participants see a lack of a reform mindset among the nation's highest decision-making body. Business Spotlight, by Singapore-based correspondent Tsubasa Suruga, focuses on Southeast Asia's first-generation startups like Grab, GoTo and Sea. Yes, they still lose money, but their superapps are preventing the U.S. tech giants from dominating the market. Grab, for example, offers a new monthly subscription program that provides free deliveries or calls only drivers with high ratings. The story predicts that while some players may not survive the current downturn, their latest strategies are worth watching closely. In Asia Insight, Pak Yiu dives deeply into Chinese President Xi Jinping's Global Security Initiative. The details of this global program are still fuzzy, but it nevertheless seems to be a source of anxiety in the U.S., with Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling China "the most serious long-term challenge to the international order." Lastly, from our Life & Arts section, I recommend a story on Japanese jazz pianist Tadataka Unno by our New York editor Katsuhiko Hara. Two years ago, writes Hara, "a group of black youths attacked [Unno] in Harlem after he exited a subway train. Some of the attackers had yelled, 'Chinese!' He was heavily beaten, with an injury to his right shoulder. A doctor had told Unno that he may not be able to play his piano anymore." It is a moving story of a man who decided to overcome a hate crime through the power of music. I also believe that hatred can be conquered only through nonviolent means. | 
