Economy and commerce
China's Trade War Pain Can Be ASEAN's Gain
The current trade war between the United States and China is causing considerable stress to businesses in the line of fire. Even after the US midterm elections next month, the tension will not go away. []As the world adjusts to a shifting geopolitical landscape, the greatest ...
China offers $7.2-billion fund to support projects in Asean, other nations
China’s Belt and Road Initiative will release 10 billion renminbi or $1.5 billion next month to finance development projects in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the Philippines.The amount is a part of the initial 50 billion renminbi or about $7.2 billion in funding ...
ASEAN growth forecasts take hits from trade war and market turmoil
Economists in Southeast Asia have lowered their growth projections as the U.S.-China trade war heats up and emerging markets face deepening turmoil, a new survey shows. Keep reading ...
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 ...
