Bloomberg
U.S. Steps Up Scrutiny of Chinese Built Dams on Mekong Basin
The U.S. is increasing scrutiny of Chinese dams along the Mekong River, its latest move aimed at helping Southeast Asian nations push back against Beijing. The ‘Mekong Dam Monitor,’ funded by the U.S. government and run by for-profit consultancy Eyes on Earth and the Washington-based Stimson Center gathers ...
Philip Heijmans
China’s Dam-Building Is Harming the Mekong River
The Mekong is one of Asia’s most important rivers, supporting 60 million people in Southeast Asia. But for the second consecutive year, the lower Mekong basin has hit a record low water flow, affecting irrigation, rice production and fisheries, all vital to the region’s food security. The drought ...
Bloomberg News
Three-Decade Economic Boom Comes to a Sudden Halt in Vietnam
For the past three decades, Vietnam has known only good — or great — economic news. The nation’s consistent growth as an exporter, propelled by Communist leaders who began embracing market-oriented policies in the late 1980s, pushed many into the middle class. The coronavirus pandemic changed ...
John Boudreau and Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen
Thailand Makes Its Own Covid-19 Tests to Avoid Import Reliance
Thailand is ramping up domestic production of Covid-19 test kits to avoid a potential shortage, as it prepares for a possible second wave of infections after most businesses and services reopened. “Thailand has always received criticism for testing too few, and that was the case at ...
Collapse in Myanmar Seafood Exports Puts 1 Million Jobs At Risk
About 1 million people may lose their jobs in Myanmar’s fisheries industry, with almost all exports ceasing since February as the spread of Covid-19 prompted major buyers, led by China and the U.S., to halt orders. Processing plants wouldn’t have been able to deliver anyway, as ...
Khine Lin Kyaw
Vietnam’s Mekong Delta Declares Emergency on Devastating Drought
Vietnam’s prolonged drought, coupled with an extensive buildup of salinity, have driven five provinces in the country’s rice bowl to declare a state of emergency. “This year’s drought and salinity have been way more devastating than what we saw four years ago,” said Nguyen Thien Phap, ...
Mai Ngoc Chau
Thailand Has a Developing Economy and a Big First World Problem
Getting old can be hard under any circumstances, and harder still when you’re poor. That’s the predicament for Thailand, the developing country first in line to face the consequences of a first-world-style baby bust. Data published last month by the United Nations show births in Thailand ...
Margo Towie, Jason Clenfield and Hannah Dormido
Vietnam Culls 1.7 Million Pigs as Virus Spreads to New Areas
Vietnam culled more than 1.7 million pigs as African swine fever spread across the country, with officials warning the disease may penetrate sizable commercial farms next. About 5% of the nation’s pig population has been culled as the number of infected provinces and cities increased to ...
Mai Ngoc Chau
Cambodia Faces Next Trade-Sanctions Move by the European Union
The European Union moved closer to imposing trade sanctions against Cambodia as a result of alleged human-rights violations in the country. The European Commission in Brussels has asked EU national governments to give the green light by Jan. 29 for suspending a policy that lets ...
A Chinese company reshaping the world leaves a troubled trail
CCCC, Belt and Road’s biggest builder, is besieged by allegations of fraud, corruption, and environmental damage. Keep reading ...