News
Myanmar and India to open new international border gate in Tamu
Pilgrims, traders and adventurous holidaymakers can soon look forward to the opening of a new border gate between India and Myanmar, officials say. Immigration Minister U Thein Swe said the new international border gate at Tamu, Sagaing Region, would open soon. He said the Indian ...
Government optimistic on exports
The government remains positive that exports will stay flat or eke out marginal growth this year despite an unexpected drop in October after two months of gains. The Commerce Ministry on November 28 said exports fell by 4.2% year-on-year in October to UScopy7.78 billion after growth ...
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 ...
Duty-free soybean imports get state nod
The government on November 24 approved a three-year, tariff-free soybean import plan to ease domestic shortages on the condition that importers promote soybean farming and pay more for domestically grown soybeans. Deputy prime minister Prajin Juntong, who chaired the vegetable oil committee meetings, said importers ...
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 ...
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 ...
