Economy and commerce
Trade
Why the Mekong River is Asia’s next big investment locale
Japan recently announced a three-year, $7 billion investment deal to improve the infrastructure of the lower Mekong River region. This deal is a move to offset China’s growing economic influence within the region. Furthermore, because of geopolitical reasons, it will be beneficial to Japanese investors ...
Shrimp exports to S Korea to rise
Exports of Việtnamese seafood products to South Korea are expected to increase strongly this year thanks to the free trade agreement between the two countries that took effect last December, according to the Korea Fishery Trade Association. Under the FTA, Korea has committed to clear taxes ...
Timber trade continuing despite ban, data shows
Customs data from Vietnam confirms that thousands of cubic meters of wood worth millions of dollars is continuing to reach the country from Cambodia despite a blanket ban placed on such exports four months ago. Soeng Sophari, a spokeswoman for the Commerce Ministry, which manages and ...
Containers pile up as trade backlog clears at Yangon ports
Weeks of delayed imports have been cleared through Yangon’s ports in the last few days after customs offices opened 24 hours a day to tackle a growing backlog of trade, but empty containers continue to stack up. As a temporary solution, the Customs Department has prioritised ...
GI status for Tbong Khmum pepper unlikely
With 72 per cent of Cambodian black pepper production coming from Tbong Khmum province, agriculture officials are calling for it to receive Geographic Indicator status to promote the spice for export. Hean Vanhan, deputy-general director of the general department of agriculture, said on 30 May that if ...
Business operators lack faith in local economy
Investors have expressed a lack of confidence in Thailand’s economy because of a decline in exports, the drought-induced expected slowdown in domestic consumption, and the sluggish global economy. Somkiat Anuras, vice chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber’s Business Confidence Index was only ...
Cattle feeders in Vietnam feel sting of fast changing market
Vietnam cattle feeders spent millions of US dollars importing 311,523 head of Australian young beef calves last year— betting that retail prices for beef on the supermarket shelves had nowhere to go but up. Now the feeders, who buy calves and fatten them for sale to ...
Timber exports to Vietnam way up
Legal timber exports to Vietnam – the bulk of them rosewood – soared between 2013 and 2015, with the volume of logs exported increasing by a factor of 142 and seven times as much sawn wood passing across the border, according to a report by ...
VN’s cashew industry booming
Viet Nam’s cashew industry is expected to enjoy strong export growth in the coming years, especially shipments to the US, according to the Viet Nam Cashew Association. Viet Nam has been the world’s largest cashew nut exporter for many years, with exports reaching US$2.5 billion last ...
Details of Kingdom’s first double taxation agreement released
In what could be Cambodia’s biggest step forward into the ASEAN Economic Community in terms of taxation deals and fiscal transparency, details on Cambodia’s first bilateral double taxation agreement (DTA) with Singapore have been released. Mey Vann, director of financial industry at the Ministry of Economy ...