Economy and commerce

Northern Laos is emerging as an important source of fresh bananas for the Chinese market, with several different investors from China itself understood to be establishing plantations covering thousands of hectares across several different regions. The investors have been drawn to the region by good availability ...

Eight out of 10 member states of ASEAN have made investments in Vietnam with a total pledge of $56.32 billion for 2,681 projects, the Foreign Investment Agency recently reported.   The cumulative investment figure was recorded at the end of September and was up 8.6 percent from ...

China’s apple exporters will have to come up with new, non-controversial packaging if they want to resume sending the fruit to Vietnam, authorities said on 22 October. Keep reading ...

Thai Union Group, the world’s largest tuna canner, has stopped receiving supplies from about 1,200 fishing boats in Thailand over the past one to two years as part of its strictly-enforced code for responsible sourcing and conduct. As part of its global rebranding launched on 18 September, the ...

While political and policy risks have been among the biggest concerns for foreign investors in recent years, other issues such as bureaucracy, legal enforcement and business restrictions perhaps weigh even more heavily on Thailand’s competitiveness. Darren Buckley, country head of Citi Thailand and president of the American Chamber of ...

Renewable energy is one of the main sectors expected to engage in more merger and acquisition (M&A) activity offshore in the next three to five years, according to Kasikornbank. KBank, one of the major banks involved with corporate fund-raising, on 21 October shared its views on the upward ...

The government is considering privilege packages for Thai franchises in a bid to promote them in the world market. Deputy Commerce Minister Suvit Maesincee, who presided over the opening of the “Excellent Thai Franchise” event on 21 October, said the franchise business still had a lot of ...

Xayaboury province will impose restrictions on banana farms following reports which suggested that farms in several provinces had used harmful chemicals which leaked into the soil and threatened local livelihoods. Governor of the northwestern province, Mr Phongsavanh Sitthavong, recently informed the media that Xayaboury would allow ...

China has announced that it will invest US$31.4 billion in the Mengla economic zone in Yunnan province of the country, which shares a border with Lunag Namtha and Phongsaly provinces in northern Laos. The investment will cover more than 240 projects in such fields as transportation, ...

The Tourism Council of Thailand projects foreign tourist arrivals will reach 30.3 million this year, growing 22% and surpassing the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s target of 28.8 million visitors. Tourism revenue from foreign tourists is expected to surge 21% to 1.42 trillion baht, slightly up from ...