News
Government to air concerns on Lao VAT
The government is set to raise the issue of Laos’s value-added tax in a joint discussion with Lao counterparts, fearing the new tax measure may cripple growing border trade. Adul Chotinisakorn, deputy director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said that while the issue is an ...
Yangon government considers ending industrial zone bridge tolls
The Yangon Region government is debating ending the toll fees on three bridges that connect Hlaing Thar Yar industrial zone with Yangon and the Thilawa special economic zone. “We are discussing with the Ministry of Construction the collection fees on Bayint Naung bridge, Aung Zayar ...
As labourers leave Myanmar delta, farmers struggle to mechanise
On a recent November morning, farmer U Soe Myint Aung was busy collecting rice from his harvester and loading it into bags. It is heavy work but still he knows he is lucky; with 17 acres of paddy field situated along a road in Kwinyar village, ...
Ministry promotes quartz industry
The Industry Ministry is pushing for the development of quartz mining, as this mineral is an important raw material for the production of solar panels. According to the ministry’s Department of Primary Industries and Mines, the Kingdom has reserves of 25 million tonnes of high-quality ...
Thai banks bullish on Vietnam even if Trump scraps TPP
Thai banks in Vietnam believe a large labour force and low wages will still be magnets for trade and foreign direct investment in that country even if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is scrapped in line with US President-elect Donald Trump’s policy. Vietnam is among the 12 Pacific ...
Bank Negara Malaysia dealing with short-term volatility of the ringgit
A slew of measures undertaken by Bank Negara Malaysia are expected to help enhance a continuous supply of foreign currency. To discourage the trading of non-deliverable forwards offshore, the central bank has announced several initiatives to liberalise and deregulate the onshore ringgit-hedging market. They include providing ...
The Philippines to buy rice from Myanmar
Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce revealed that the Philippines has offered to ink a government-to-government treaty to buy rice from its fellow ASEAN country. “The Philippines has offered to buy rice. More detailed discussions are needed [for the treaty]. Currently, it imports rice mainly from Vietnam. ...
VN firms invest in textile, dyeing
Many textile and garment enterprises are investing in textile and dyeing complexes to ensure material for sustainable development, Vietnam Television reported recently. To avail themselves of business opportunities from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, many textile and garment firms have over the past two years started building textile ...
President pledges to encourage investment to Myanmar
President Trần Đại Quang pledged that Việt Nam will encourage its business community to invest in Myanmar, especially in agriculture, fish farming, mining and tourism. At a meeting with visiting Myanmar Minister of Home Affairs Kyaw Swe in Hà Nội yesterday, the President said that Việt ...
VN Gov’t wants energy-efficient buildings
Việt Nam is going through a construction boom, with apartment and office buildings mushrooming, and energy efficiency is imperative, Nguyễn Công Thịnh, head of the Ministry of Construction’s science, technology and environment department, told a seminar in HCM City on December 5. “The ministry would like ...
