Attempt to follow Asian river craft (8)
I believe the answer is:
industry
'craft' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'attempt to follow asian river' is the wordplay.
'attempt' becomes 'try' (synonyms).
'to follow' says to put letters next to each other.
'asian river' becomes 'indus' (I've seen this in another clue).
'try' after 'indus' is 'INDUSTRY'.
(Other definitions for industry that I've seen before include "The manufacture or production of goods" , "Craft" , "Manufacturing enterprises" , "Steady application - to manufacturing?" , "Work (of manufacturing)" .)