Economy and commerce
Cross-border zone in North could boost trade links
The government is studying the feasibility of establishing a cross-border economic zone in the Golden Triangle under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation scheme to expand economic links for Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China. Keep reading ...
Mekong Delta region makes up 18 percent of GDP
Mekong Delta localities collected more than 243.2 trillion VND (10.46 billion USD) for the budget in 2016-2018, and made up 18 percent of the country’s GDP, according to an official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). Keep reading ...
China’s New Silk Road
Xi calls it the “project of the century,” a decades-long drive to grease the wheels of trade with massive infrastructure spending; Morgan Stanley estimates it will total $1.3 trillion by 2027. The Belt and Road is at the core of China’s foreign policy strategy and ...
Myanmar-Thailand highway branded ‘ecological and social disaster’
Community and conservation groups in Myanmar have branded a planned highway linking a port project to Thailand an “ecological and social disaster”, saying it would uproot indigenous people from their homes and farms. Critics said an environmental and social impact assessment for the road project, ...
Trade of coastal sand is damaging wildlife of poorer nations, study finds
The secretive trade of coastal sand to wealthy countries such as China is seriously damaging the wildlife of poorer nations whose resources are being plundered, according to a new study. Sand and gravel are the most extracted groups of materials worldwide after water, with sand used in ...
Cybercrime surges above $120-bn in Southeast Asia
THE RAPID growth of Bitcoin-related scams and other cybercrimes has prompted the United Nations to urge member countries, including Thailand, to step up their legal safeguards against potential economic losses. Cybercrime-related losses worldwide top US$600 billion (Bt19.6 trillion), said Julien Garsany, deputy regional representative of ...
EU firms in Asean see region as having greatest potential
A GROWING majority of European firms in South-east Asia believe further Asean economic integration will be important to their business, with many finding the current pace too slow, the fourth EU-Asean Business Sentiment Survey has found. Keep reading ...
CIMB becomes first bank from Asean to join United Nations' initiative for responsible banking
CIMB Group Holdings has become a member of the United Nations’ (UN) Environment Programme Finance Initiative Principles for Responsible Banking (UNEP-FI), making it the only banking group in Asean to be a founding member of the sustainable initiative. Keep reading ...
Demand for affordable apartments on the rise Read
The affordable apartment segment will be the star of the property market in the coming years, but its supply is increasingly scarce while the demand for this type of apartment remains high, according to an analysis by property services firm CBRE Việt Nam. Keep reading ...
Airbnb surges in Mekong nations
Five million travellers stayed at Airbnb accommodation in the Greater Mekong region in 2017, generating income of US$1.67 billion (55 billion baht). Keep reading ...
