Nikkei Asian Review

An ambitious three-nation highway that will connect India with Thailand through Myanmar is a central plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East policy, which seeks to boost trade and connectivity with Southeast Asia. The 3,200km project conceived in 2002 came up for discussion when Modi ...

Japan plans to extend about $994 million in low-interest lending to Myanmar for such projects as railways and water treatment plants, the latest step in Tokyo’s push to bolster ties with the Southeast Asian country. This would mark Japan’s first development financing initiative for Myanmar since ...

Rising income levels combined with an increase in cross-border trade in Southeast Asia has meant many countries in the region have had to begin strengthening food safety measures in order to meet growing consumer awareness. Under new food safety laws revised in July, the maximum punishment for food poisoning and ...

The Southeast Asian economy is recovering, posting the sharpest growth in a year and a half in the April-June quarter. The real gross domestic product of five major countries in the region –  Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines – expanded 4.6% from a year earlier, surpassing the 4.4% ...

Thailand has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s most enthusiastic investors in mutual funds as a growing middle class seeks ways to better manage its financial assets. “The Thai percentage is high, compared with the Southeast Asian average of about 10%,” said Yohei Kitano, senior analyst at ...

Speaking at a press briefing, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau also raised concern about the drafting process of the proposed constitution, saying it was “not inclusive” and lacked “open debate” before it was adopted. The United States urged Thailand’s ruling junta on August 8 to return the ...