Economy and commerce
Trade war: Will ASEAN be next?
The United States (US) is not stopping with China; it has threatened or engaged in trade wars with Canada, Mexico and the European Union (EU). Could ASEAN member states also be on US President Donald Trump’s list of targets? Keep reading ...
Cambodians wary as Chinese investment transforms their country
As boom-mounted cameras swept the horizon, a drone hovered above more than 50,000 party faithful who had begun streaming noisily through the Cambodian capital well before dawn, dressed in white shirts and caps, and waving blue flags. Keep reading ...
The US-China trade war could wipe 0.2%-0.3% of Asean's GDP
The ongoing trade war between US and China, two of the largest economies in the world, could wipe out about 0.2% to 0.3% of the Asean region’s gross domestic product (GDP), says ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) chief economist Dr Khor Hoe Ee. Keep reading ...
Reckoning With Human Rights Violations in Thailand's Extraterritorial Investments
The intensive growth of Thai investments in ASEAN countries in recent years has demonstrated significant potential opportunities to expand markets and provide access to transboundary supply chains, raw materials, as well as the natural resources of the neighboring countries. []A pattern of links between malpractice of ...
Can Southeast Asia weather a trade war?
In the face of growing economic protectionism, undergirded by a trade tiff between the United States (US) and China, Southeast Asian economies are bracing for the impact from a possible economic fallout. Over the past few months, US President Donald Trump has not minced his ...
Investors Dissatisfied With Government’s Lack of Direction on Economy
Impatient with the sluggishness of the economy, local investors are losing confidence in the pace of economic reform and blame it on a lack of direction by the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government after two-and-a-half years of its administration. Keep reading ...
Myanmar will ask China to downsize project, minister says
Myanmar will seek to reduce the scale of a China-led special economic zone project in its western state of Rakhine, Planning and Finance Minister Soe Win said in an exclusive interview. Keep reading ...
At Thailand-Laos Border, A Shadow Economy Thrives
A silhouette of the casino’s golden domes and gaudy crown appears in the distance, standing out like a sore thumb against the landscape of lush tropical hills in this northwestern corner of Laos. The Ton Pheung district is part of a special economic zone (SEZ) ...
Vientiane conference links VN, Lao firms

Nearly 100 businesses from Việt Nam and Laos gathered at a conference in Vientiane on Friday to seek partnership opportunities, an activity within the framework of the Laos-Việt Nam Trade Fair 2018. Keep reading ...
Executives call for use of local currencies at borders
Business leaders from the lower Mekong River are calling for their governments to use local currencies for border region trade to facilitate transactions and reduce exchange costs. Keep reading ...