Economy and commerce

COVID-19 has rattled Laos’ debut in selling a U.S. dollar bond in international markets, adding pressure on a country whose “Wild West of dam building” splurge has put it in a precarious repayment situation, especially in regard to China, its leading lender. Sources familiar with the ...

Thailand may lose up to 14.4 million jobs in the second and third quarters, largely because of the coronavirus outbreak and widespread drought, says the government’s planning unit. Of the total, some 8.4 million workers are estimated to be at risk of job loss, 2.5 million ...

Vietnam has reached an inflection point in its economic development and needs to look for new models, the World Bank says. In a report it released on Wednesday, ‘Vibrant Vietnam: Forging the Foundation of a High-Income Economy’, the WB said domestic and foreign business environments in Vietnam are ...

About 1 million people may lose their jobs in Myanmar’s fisheries industry, with almost all exports ceasing since February as the spread of Covid-19 prompted major buyers, led by China and the U.S., to halt orders. Processing plants wouldn’t have been able to deliver anyway, as ...

Moody’s Investors Service says Cambodia has strong fiscal buffers to counter disruptions to trade and growth arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement released in Singapore Friday, the US credit rating agency said slowdowns in China, the EU and the US would deter Cambodia’s growth ...

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have detected far fewer coronavirus cases than their more advanced Southeast Asian neighbors, but their economies are taking a beating all the same, potentially forcing a rethink of their development models down the road. Analysts at Maybank Kim Eng expect the ...

n this time of uncertainty, one thing about Covid-19 is clear. This pandemic will lead to a sharp and unprecedented decline in Cambodian economic productivity. And the industrial and service sectors will be the hardest hit.  In response to the pandemic and to the economic crisis ...

Thai Airways International (THAI) is headed for bankruptcy court to pave the way for a much-needed rehabilitation for the octogenarian, near moribund national carrier, which in its glory days operated under the smug “Smooth as Silk” logo. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s Cabinet approved the plan ...

The Cambodian government is pushing for free-trade agreement (FTA) talks with potential partners while seeking Russia’s help for a Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) free trade agreement, local media reported. The Cambodian Ministry of Commerce’s Secretary of State Tek Reth Kamrong said during her recent meeting with Russian Ambassador to Cambodia ...

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Vietnam’s economy has shown strong growth in 2019, as a result of high domestic demand, a strong manufacturing and processing industry, and high Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The second outbreak of COVID-19 in March started a new phase in the fight against the pandemic, severely ...