News
Thailand’s October exports fall
Thailand’s customs-cleared exports unexpectedly dropped in October after two months of gains, adding to pressure on the struggling, trade-reliant economy in the face of tepid global demand. Exports, worth about two-thirds of the Thai economy, have contracted the past three years, placing a big drag ...
Forestry dept offers assurances, admits flaws in wake of lawsuit
The Forestry Department has broken its silence after a Swedish court last week penalised an importer of Myanmar teak, dramatically calling into question the country’s documenting processes for timber sourcing. In a public statement, the Forestry Department claimed that current control systems should be “capable ...
Halal order raises stakes for abattoir
SLN Meat Supplies, the company behind Cambodia’s first industrial slaughterhouse, is hoping to secure an export contract to supply $50 million worth of halal beef to a Malaysian distributor. This would be the company’s first overseas export agreement, and a much-needed boost to secure regular ...
Human trafficking needs urgent action: Mekong nations
Human trafficking continues to flourish within the region, requiring a joint effort by the Mekong countries to actively stamp out the trade and penalise those responsible. Human trafficking is harmful to socio-economic development and social order in the region and could worsen when the ASEAN Economic ...
Japan to end preferential tariffs for China, four others
Japan has proposed stricter tariff rules that would knock five trading partners including China and Mexico off the list of countries receiving preferential treatment for emerging economies. A finance ministry customs committee said on November 24 that the list of nations qualifying for zero or minimal ...
Thailand evokes Temasek as Junta tries to revive state firms
Thailand is seeking to set up an investment holding company next year for government shareholdings, part of a wider effort to improve the performance of state-controlled enterprises. A law to boost the governance of such firms and enable the creation of the holding company may ...
SRT plans high-speed rail talks with Malaysia
Thailand is preparing to sit for talks with Malaysia to discuss an ambitious initiative to build a new high-speed train system linking Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The planned meeting follows interest expressed earlier by the Malaysian transport minister, which drew an enthusiastic response from Thai ...
Stanchart: PH economy on track to beating ASEAN counterparts
Despite external headwinds, the Philippines is expected to grow the fastest among ASEAN economies until next year on the back of robust domestic demand and strong services exports, Standard Chartered Bank said on November 24. “The Philippines’ domestic growth engine is firing on all cylinders, ...
VN fruit sent to tough markets
Việt Nam exported nearly 10,000 tonnes of fresh fruit to difficult markets such as the United States, Canada, South Korea and Japan in the first 10 months of this year. This export volume doubled figures from the whole of last year. According to director of the ...
Thailand braces for Trump dumping TPP
Country needs to focus other bilateral and regional deals next year, officials say. Thailand should get ready to renegotiate the framework of the US-ASEAN free-trade agreement after US President-elect Donald Trump announced on November 22 that he would scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal in his first ...
