China 'Two Sessions', ASEAN-Australia Summit, Malaysia rate decision

Welcome to Your Week in Asia.

Monday will see the start of the ASEAN-Australia Summit in Melbourne and the U.S.-South Korea annual military exercises.

China's National People's Congress, the legislative branch, begins its yearly meetings on Tuesday, with Premier Li Qiang delivering a work report that includes growth targets for 2024.

E-commerce giants Sea and JD.com are set to report earnings this week.

Get the best of our coverage of Asia and much more by following us on X, formerly Twitter, @NikkeiAsia.

MONDAY

China's "Two Sessions" start

China's top political consultative body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, convenes in Beijing, kicking off the weeklong annual legislative season known as the "Two Sessions." Premier Li Qiang is expected to present a report at the National People's Congress on Tuesday, unveiling GDP growth target for 2024 along with national budget and socioeconomic policy outlines. Politicians, academicians, businesspersons and other representatives of the society who made up the roughly 5,000 delegates will take part in discussions -- most of them behind closed doors.

Australia hosts ASEAN summit

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host leaders from Southeast Asia in Melbourne for a three-day special summit starting on Monday. The meeting marks 50 years of Australian-ASEAN dialogue relations and will cover key themes of Australia's Southeast Asian Economic Strategy including trade, investment, climate change and clean energy, and maritime security.

Vietnam and Australia plan to upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership after the ASEAN-Australia summit.

Annual U.S.-South Korea joint military drills kick off

South Korea and the U.S. will commence the annual Freedom Shield military exercises as part of efforts to guard against the threat posed by North Korea. The drills run for ten days and involve live, virtual and field-based training, with the involvement of personnel from various military services, aimed at "enhancing interoperability and elevating combat readiness." Seoul and Washington are working to remain combat ready as Pyongyang escalates its weapons development.

Earnings: Sea

TUESDAY

ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting

Defense chiefs of Southeast Asian nations meet in the World Heritage site of Luang Prabang in Laos to discuss their stance and strategies on peace solutions for Myanmar and rising challenges in the South China Sea.

WEDNESDAY

GDP: Australia

Earnings: JD.com

THURSDAY

Asia Green Tech Summit

Nikkei and the Financial Times will host the annual Asia Green Tech Summit in Singapore. The meeting will bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors from around the world to discuss Asia's renewable energy supply chain and its role as a global carbon market hub. VinFast chairwoman Le Thi Thu Thuy will speak at a keynote session.

Modi expected to visit Kashmir

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the northern Kashmir region, his first trip to the valley since the abrogation of its special status in August 2019. During the planned visit -- which comes just ahead of the country's general elections due in April-May -- Modi will address a public meeting in Kashmir's Srinagar area, according to his Bharatiya Janata Party's local unit spokesperson Altaf Thakur.

China data: trade

Monetary policy: Malaysia

FRIDAY

10th anniversary of disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370

A decade ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished with 239 souls on board. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the aviation industry's biggest unsolved mystery. Despite extensive searches that lasted for three years, concluding in 2017, the plane and the cause of its disappearance remain unknown.

WEEKEND

China data: CPI, PPI

Asian films compete for Oscars

The 96th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. In the Academy Awards' high-profile best picture category, "Past Lives," directed by Celine Song and featuring largely Korean-language dialogue, will be up against stiff competition. The film is also up for best original screenplay. Wim Wenders' "Perfect Days" was successfully nominated by Japan in the best international feature category. Meanwhile, "Godzilla Minus One" has brought Japan's biggest resident his first-ever Oscar nomination, in the category of best visual effects, while Hayao Miyazaki earned his fourth animated feature nomination with "The Boy and the Heron," also known as "How Do You Live?"