The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SHANGHAI
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
H
A
N
G
H
A
I
More clues leading to the result SHANGHAI
- City fathers ultimately suspend drunk by word of mouth
- Hover in quiet road in Oriental city
- Remain in quiet given excellent port
- Quiet husband enters building again somewhere in south-east Asia
- Long nap interrupted by new haircut needed in Asian port
- Informed about hot husband regularly at it somewhere in China
- Eastern port’s drop locks failing to close
- Coerce into serving the city
- Take-away Chinese place?
- Once impressive part of China?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "somewhere in south-east Asia" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case somewhere in south-east asia = shanghai.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SHANGHAI mean?
SHANGHAI noun- A tall dandy.
- To force or trick (someone) into joining a ship as part of the crew.
- To abduct or coerce.
- To trick (a person) into entering a jurisdiction where they can lawfully be arrested.
- To commandeer; appropriate; hijack
- A slingshot.