Economy and commerce
Post-coup Thailand sees economic slump putting pressure on junta
Thailand’s government is under increasing pressure to overhaul the cabinet and bolster the economy as falling exports, eroding consumer confidence and a slump in manufacturing portend one of the region’s slowest expansions. The finance ministry has cut its forecasts for exports and gross domestic product growth ...
Cambodia nearing lower-middle income
Cambodia is expected to reach a GDP per capita of $1,220 this year, putting it on course to being a lower-middle income economy, said Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol. Based on a Ministry of Economy and Finance projection, the figure will be a jump from the 2014 ...
Vietnam strives to improve its trade statistics for ASEAN
Vietnam will strive to become one of ASEAN’s top five nations in international trade statistics by 2017. This is part of a plan for Vietnam’s integration into the ASEAN Statistics system in the 2016-20 period, as approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. According to the plan’s general targets ...
Chinese loan for Cambodia's rice sector on hold
A project to build 10 warehouses to store rice paddy using Chinese funding has hit a roadblock, as the Cambodian government has been unable to meet criteria set by the Chinese for the project, according to an official associated with the project. Keep reading ...
With farms, fruit and feed, Vietnam's tycoons explore agribusiness ventures
Some of Vietnam’s top firms are carving out opportunities in its $37 billion agriculture and seafood sector and looking to expand overseas, helped by free trade pacts. “We’ll have global food shortages by 2050. If we invest fundamentally and correctly, this market is infinite,” said Nguyen Duy ...
New rice deals hammered out with African countries
Thailand has clinched several deals to sell 765,000 tonnes of rice worth US$313 million to African countries. Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said during a five-day visit to South Africa that Thai exporters had signed 11 memorandums of understanding with African importers for the rice, worth 10.9 ...
Laos stone not a rock-solid investment for Chinese speculators
A government ban, fines and the confiscation of goods has not stopped Chinese opportunists seeking to make a quick buck in Laos stone, reports the Shanghai-based China Business News. The popularity of Laos stone has investors betting that it could step up next to the greats ...
Mekong meet helps states prepare for AEC
To welcome the launch of the Asean Economic Community and help Greater Mekong Subregion countries cope with e-commerce, an international conference was held recently to bring specialists and officials together to swap ideas and experiences. The 8 July event, titled “Mekong Forum 2015 – Modernising the ...
Vietnam Jan-July foreign investment declines 8 pct
Foreign direct investment in the first seven months declined by 8 percent year-on-year to US$8.8 billion, Vietnam’s Foreign Investment Agency has reported. Newly licensed projects were worth $6.9 billion, 1 percent up from last year. Keep reading ...
Thailand's economy isn't a Land of Smiles
Thailand’s worst drought in a decade appears to have ended, but the damage could cast a shadow on the economy for months to come. The crippling dry weather that first emerged in late 2014 is no longer present in the country’s 67 provinces, the deputy head ...
