Economy and commerce
Investment
Multi-billion dollar projects, approved in 'red-carpet' period, lose licenses
After joining WTO, Vietnam laid the red carpet out to welcome foreign investors with huge investment projects worth billions of dollars. But some of these projects never started or have lost licenses. Ca Na was one of the projects in the ‘FDI golden age’ when ...
AMM49 voices concern about recent complicated situation in East Sea
The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place in Laos’s capital city of Vientiane on July 24 with the participation of 10 Foreign Ministers from ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Secretary General. The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Deputy Prime Minister and ...
Myitsone and the failure of China’s ‘anti-ethno-politics’ approach
Northern Myanmar’s Myitsone mega-project failed because its Chinese proponents systematically dismissed Kachin and Burmese nationalism. The Chinese hydropower developers’ strategy was what I call “anti-ethno-politics”: when the state, NGOs, businesses, or other actors try to depoliticise sensitive questions about how their own activities clash with ...
Concerns raised over a new super state agency
Instead of speeding up the equitisation process, Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment has stirred up controversy with proposal to set up another unit to supervise and manage state capital and assets in state-owned corporations. This super unit will directly manage the capital at 30 state-owned corporations ...
Malaysia, Singapore team up on bullet-train project
Malaysia and Singapore signed an agreement on 18 July to build an ambitious high-speed rail link touted as a first for Southeast Asia that will knit the historically fractious neighbours more closely together. Authorities have yet to provide cost projections, but analyst estimates have been as high ...
ASEAN sugar producers form alliance
Myanmar has formed an alliance with six other sugar-producing countries in the region, with a view to improving cooperation and boosting trade, in preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community, which aims to create a single market for capital, goods, labour and services. Seven countries – ...
ASEAN nations agree to partner in agri-food development
ASEAN agriculture experts plan to work together towards the sustainable development of the food and agriculture sectors after holding talks on the issue. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Director General of the Agriculture Department, Mr Vilaysouk Khennavong, said “the sustainable development of the food and ...
Quang Ninh seaport and industrial complex awaits license
The Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the prime minister to approve the investment plan of the $311.9 million seaport and industrial park complex invested by a consortium of three foreign investors in Quang Yen town of the northern province of Quang Ninh, Vietnam. According ...
Foreign garment, textile tech companies bank on Vietnam
Foreign companies providing technology solutions for textile, garment, and footwear production have been increasingly active in Vietnam, taking advantage of the expected growth of the industry. On July 7, French company Lectra announced the opening of its subsidiary Lectra Vietnam. “Vietnam is one of the most dynamic ...
Lao workers returning home to work in SEZs
Speaking to Vientiane Times on 13 July, Chairman of the Champassak Provincial SEZ Authority Mr Khamphon Nuansengsy said that his authority conducted a survey recently and found that many more Lao people wanted to return to work in their hometown as long as jobs were available. In the ...
