Economy and commerce
Trade
Push for more investment in CLMV
Despite the strong economic growth of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, very few Thai companies have sought to capitalise on their economies, say government and industry officials. The Industry Ministry’s Department of Industry Promotion found only a few large enterprises such as PTT Plc, the ...
PM Modi proposes joint task force on extension of India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8 proposed a joint task force on connectivity to work on extension of India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, while also proposing to enhance the ASEAN-India Fund with an additional grant of US $ 50 million. Speaking at ...
European companies plan to up trade, investment in ASEAN
Most European companies will increase trade and investment in an integrated Association of Southeast Asian Nations over the next five years, according to a survey, although many also expressed frustration at existing trade barriers. The 2016 EU-ASEAN Business Sentiment Survey showed that 85% of European respondents ...
Thailand drops quotas on flights to Cambodia
Thailand has dropped its seat quota on commercial flights to Cambodia after its government approved the removal of the restrictions in accordance with an aviation agreement between the two countries signed in May. The approval comes months after Cambodia did the same, liberalising air travel ...
PM attends 8th Mekong-Japan summit
Vietnam pledges continued efforts to foster the Mekong-Japan cooperation for the sustainable development, peace, stability and prosperity in the region, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has affirmed. The Vietnamese Government leader made the statement in Vientiane, Laos on September 7 while attending the 8th Mekong-Japan Summit ...
Group Lease strengthens ties with Sri Lankan financial group
SET-listed microfinance company Group Lease plans to collaborate further with Commercial Credit & Finance, a Sri Lankan financial group, to strengthen its microfinance businesses in Indonesia and Cambodia after GL acquired a microfinance company in Myanmar from a Commercial Credit shareholder. GL on September 7 signed a ...
Vietnam is struggling to unite its Mekong neighbours against China
Vietnam moved rocket launchers into disputed territory in the South China Sea, reports recently suggested, meaning it could potentially attack land that China has controversially reclaimed. This all comes at a time of heightened tension over territorial wrangling in the region. A Pentagon report released in ...
Laos, Japan agree on joint development plan
Laos and Japan have agreed on a joint development direction for Laos with the two countries joining forces to remove the landlocked nation from Least Developed Country status. The agreement came at a high-level bilateral meeting held in Vientiane on September 6 led by the heads of ...
Asian firms increase footprint with Myanmar MFI expansion
Thai-listed firm Group Lease has brought a majority stake in BG Microfinance Myanmar, with plans to invest almost US$7 million into the business and ramp up the number of branches. Korean credit card firm Shinhan Card, meanwhile, is preparing to start its own microfinance services ...
B Grimm Power delays listing plan over change in accounting
B Grimm Power will postpone to next year its plan to list on the stock market because of a change in accounting standards, said company president Preeyanart Soontornwata. She said the new standards affected B Grimm Power’s plan for an initial public offering as it ...