Economy and commerce
Investment
Govt gives green light to Vientiane province cement production
The government has agreed to allow Vientiane Hongshi Saythirath Cement Co., Ltd to excavate lime and construct a cement factory in Vientiane province after the developer completed feasibility studies. The agreement was signed in Vientiane on October 12 on behalf of the government by Deputy Minister of ...
Kayah residents protest planned Pwunchaung dam
About 500 residents of Bawlakhe township, Kayah State, on October 11 protested plans to build a dam on Pwunchaung Stream, as water and soil examination continues. Transparency and environmental impact are the major concerns for the protestors, who already sent letters to the president and state ...
Formosa Plastics taps India, Southeast Asia for growth
Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics, the island’s largest maker of key plastic materials, on Tuesday said it wanted to aggressively expand in India, Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Africa to lower its dependence on China, which has been mired in a prolonged supply glut. “We are aiming to ...
Textile & garment companies still attract foreign investors
Though growth in investment in the textile & garment sector has slowed down, it is still attractive in foreign investors’ eyes. The years 2014 and 2015 witnessed the massive landing of foreign textile & garment enterprises in Vietnam. In 2015 alone, $2 billion worth of foreign ...
China downplays reports of sharing river waters with India
Playing down official media reports mooting a mechanism to share Brahmaputra river waters with India, China on October 10 said Beijing and New Delhi have “effective” cooperation to share data of the river flow and it is willing to continue it. “China and India have appropriate ...
Coal outgrows hydropower
As Cambodia’s demand for electricity grows and domestic energy production increases, new data released from the Ministry of Mines and Energy on October 10 show that coal-fired energy generation surpassed hydroelectricity for the first time last year. According to the Cambodia National Energy Statistics 2016, a joint ...
US officially terminates sanctions order
After imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar for nearly two decades, the US formally abolished the blacklist on October 7. US President Barack Obama signed an executive order terminating the sanctions, following his pledge to do so made when State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited ...
Solar sector waits on FiT power-up
As Vietnam looks to raise the nation’s renewable energy sources, foreign investors are sensing an opportunity for solar energy projects. But low feed-in-tariffs are slowing this movement, to the dismay of both local and international organisations. Representatives of six German firms recently came to Vietnam to ...
Industrial sector says policy details are needed to ensure economic zones grow
Poor infrastructure, low-quality or unreliable electricity supply, water shortages, inadequate transportation links, and ongoing disagreements with local residents affected by zone development are among the most serious problems developing the country’s industrial sector, experts say. But perhaps the biggest problem, they say, is the lack ...
Thai group promises to build new SEZ
Prime Minister Hun Sen welcomed a pledge by a Thai-based industrial real estate developer on October 10 that promised to build a special economic zone in Cambodia, despite officials saying the company has yet to make any firm commitments. According to local media, the pledge was made ...
