News
China is stepping up its global power play
With US president-elect Donald Trump threatening to build a wall on the Mexican border and force Asian allies to increase defence spending, Beijing is busy luring countries across the eastern hemisphere into its orbit. President Xi Jinping, who is consolidating his power at home, is ...
Rice exports tipped to beat state target
Rice shipments out of Thailand are expected to fare better than the government’s target of 10 million tonnes because of price competitiveness and recovering exports of hom mali fragrant rice, shippers say. Even so, that amount would be insufficient to retake the title of world’s ...
Wood exports to Europe to rise

Once the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade comes into force, there will be opportunities for Việt Nam to export more wooden products to Europe and other new markets as well as get higher prices, according to the EU Delegation to ...
Fresh push for contract farming

Frustrated with the failure of a $27 million emergency loan package to help rice farmers find a fair market price for their crop and stem the tide of smuggled paddy across the borders, Agriculture Minister Veng Sokhon is flogging a new model for the nation’s ...
Work set to begin on Laos-China railway this month
Construction of the Laos-China railway will start this month, with work to begin in several provinces simultaneously, an official in charge of the project has said. This approach will ensure that construction of the historic rail line, linking Vientiane to the Chinese border over a ...
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 ...
Prospect for a budding industry

With Cambodia’s traditional cash crops struggling to compete in global supply chains, the Kingdom could carve out a lucrative niche in commercial cannabis harvesting and exports – provided it acts fast to take advantage of the falling legal barriers, a Cambodia-based American innovator has argued. ...
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 ...