Economy and commerce
Trade
Leaders grapple with ASEAN’s thorniest issues at the 34th ASEAN Summit
The 34th ASEAN Summit, which ended on June 23, brought ASEAN leaders together to discuss regional economic, environmental and diplomatic challenges. This time around, the biannual summit centred on sustainability. The bloc is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, and sustainable development is a ...
Zachary Frye
EU Kicks Off Fact-Finding Mission to Determine Cambodia’s Eligibility For Preferential Trade Status
The European Union kicked off a five-day fact-finding mission in Cambodia on Monday to determine whether it should continue to benefit from a tax-free EU trade scheme, based on the state of human rights and democracy in the Southeast Asian nation. In February, the EU announced ...
New regulation lifts ban on export of elephants
ELEPHANTS and elephant-related products can again be exported from Thailand under a new regulation from the Commerce Ministry, which may provoke controversy and debate over whether it violates the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). However, the National Park, ...
Pratch Rujivanarom
Asia Rice: Vietnam rates gain on fears Mekong water woes may hurt crops
Rice export prices in Vietnam rose for the first time in six weeks as domestic buying picked up and fears of water scarcity in the country’s rice bowl grew, while weaker local currencies weighed on rates in other top Asian exporting hubs. In Vietnam, rates for ...
Tra fish industry needs to improve product quality
Việt Nam’s tra fish (pangasius) industry has been urged to strongly improve its quality so as to compete with not only traditional rivals, but also its biggest tra fish importer – China. According to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the domestic tra fish sector faces ...
Vietnam's New Draft Development Guidelines on Rooftop Solar Power Systems from 1 July 2019
On 12 April 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (“MOIT”) released the third draft (“Third Draft”) of the Decision of the Prime Minister on the mechanism for encouraging the development of solar power in Vietnam, applicable from 1 July 2019 (“Draft Decision”). Keep ...
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Blessing or curse?
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) marked its third anniversary last week with the announcement that China’s trade with the five Mekong member countries – Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – has reached over US$260 billion for the period, highlighting the overarching role China plays in ...
Jason Thomas
The bully playing games with border trade
Restrictions on border trade with China are a big headache for many Myanmar merchants. China officially bans most rice imports from Myanmar, for example, but its border officials often turn a blind eye to the trade. In early February though the Chinese authorities launched a crackdown ...
Sithu Aung Myint
Talks on trade, crime seek to achieve development goals
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Asean members on Wednesday to maintain a good balance between promoting cross-border trade and suppressing transnational crime, which he said holds the key to meeting the region’s sustainable development goals. He made the remark during a speech at Wednesday’s opening of the ...
Yunnan's trade with Mekong River countries tops 12.8 bln USD in 2018
The trade revenue between southwest China’s Yunnan Province and countries along the Mekong River exceeded 12.8 billion U.S. dollars last year. The trade volume saw a year-on-year increase of 7.28 percent. Keep reading ...