Trade
Trade policy and regulation
Cashew nut exports to hit $3b in 2017
Việt Nam is expected to export 360,000 tonnes of cashews for a value of US$3 billion this year, an increase of 3.4 per cent in volume and 5.6 per cent in value over last year, according to the Việt Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas). Speaking at ...
Poultry export outlook solidly optimistic
Thailand’s poultry export prospects are looking more promising this year, lifted by higher demand and the resumption of fresh poultry imports by many countries after bird flu was brought under control. According to Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikulya, the ministry is optimistic Thailand will be able ...
Indonesia among Asia's top destinations attracting investors: ECN survey
Indonesia is among Asia’s most attractive investment destinations, thanks to a robust private demand combined with expectation of improvements in its business climate, a survey from The Economist Corporate Network showed. Published on January 17, the survey — titled “Navigating Asia’s Risks and Rewards: Asia ...
U.S. ambassadors in Asia make final plea for dead Trans-Pacific trade pact
When hope of enacting the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact ended in November, Max Baucus, the United States ambassador to China, was among the officials who had to grapple with disappointment. The partnership, called the TPP, was a hallmark of the Obama administration. It would ...
Sugar yield quells ethanol shortage fear
Ethanol shortage concerns in Thailand have subsided on the good sugar yield from the latest sugar cane crop, providing abundant molasses for the ethanol industry, says a senior industrial official. Thai SugarMillers Corporation Ltd, which includes all Thai 52 sugar factories, said the current 2016/17 ...
China to buy 20,000 tonnes of organic rice from Laos
China has approved the purchase of 20,000 tonnes of organic rice a year from Laos, according to Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith. Mr Thongloun said in talks with Khong district authorities in Champassak province last week that Chinese premier Li Keqiang had agreed to the deal. The ...
Deconstructing China’s energy security strategy
Given continued American global naval supremacy, which is unlikely to be challenged successfully in the foreseeable future, Beijing’s highest strategic priority is to ensure energy security by connecting friendly major oil and gas producers to China via pipelines transiting through land routes beyond the effective ...
Vietnam fears protectionism will affect farm produce exports
Vietnam in 2016 saw a high farm produce trade surplus of $7.6 billion, but big difficulties are still ahead, including returning protectionism with Brexit and US President-elect Donald Trump. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said at a press conference on January ...
Economy resilient to global headwinds: World Bank
Despite global uncertainty related to political shifts in the West and a continued Chinese economic slowdown, Cambodia showed strong growth prospects for the next several years, according to the World Bank’s latest report. The latest Global Economic Prospects report from the World Bank, titled “Weak ...
All state rice stocks to be disposed of this year
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants all existing state rice stocks to be disposed of within this year. Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, permanent secretary for commerce, said Gen Prayut, who chaired the national rice policy committee’s meeting on January 9, has ordered officials handling state rice sales to ...
