ASEAN Report: FDI Flows at a Record High
Aug. 23 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recently published their 2012 ASEAN Investment Report in which the they revealed their recent foreign direct investment (FDI) successes. Specifically: FDI flows into ASEAN rose to an all-time high of US$114 billion in 2011 (up 24 percent year-on-year compared to 2010); ASEAN took in about 7.4 percent […]
ASEAN Economic Ministers Meet in Brunei
Aug. 22 – The 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers Meeting (AEMM) was held in Brunei this past Monday. Upon arrival the ASEAN ministers held a joint press conference at which they expressed their happiness about the strong economic performance and resilience of ASEAN in 2012. Specifically, the ministers noted that all […]
Singapore Increases GDP Forecast
Aug. 9 – The outlook for Singapore’s GDP was revised upwards this past week following greater than expected growth over the first two quarters of this year. The announcement came from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his televised National Day address to the country. Economic growth was previously projected at a GDP growth […]
Singapore’s RMB Business Up 80% in Three Months
Singaporean banks, arguably the financial apex of ASEAN, have reported an 80 percent increase in the number of local companies using China’s national currency, the renminbi (RMB), to settle transactions.
Singapore Urges Deeper ASEAN-India Relations
Aug. 2 – Earlier this week, at the inaugural lecture of the ASEAN-India Centre in New Delhi, Singapore’s Foreign Minister K Shanmugam pushed for a deeper relationship between ASEAN and India so as to further expand tourism and business opportunities between the two regions. Specifically, in addition to the services and investment free trade agreement […]
August 2013 ASEAN Regional Meetings
There are a number of important meetings being held in August, including a series of meetings for ASEAN Economic Ministers and Defense Ministers. The key meetings of note for our readers are as follows.
Philippines to Lead Economic Growth in ASEAN
Jul. 31 – ASEAN will outperform other Asia-Pacific economies next year as China’s growth slows, according to a report issued by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) this week. In their report titled “Credit Conditions: Increased China Downside Risk Dampens Asia’s Growth,” S&P lowered their forecast for year-end growth in Asia-Pacific from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent. […]
ASEAN Expected to Commence FTA Talks with Hong Kong
Jul. 23 – According to Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So, the 10-nation ASEAN bloc and Hong Kong are expected to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA). This agreement would rapidly expand the volume of trade and investment between the two sides. Currently in the preparatory stage, the agreement […]
Mongolia Attends ASEAN Regional Forum
Jul. 12 – Mongolia was in attendance at last week’s 20th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) – entitled the “Asia Regional Forum” – which was held in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei. Brunei is the current chair of the 10-state Southeast Asian trade bloc. The forum detailed not just ASEAN-related issues, but also held […]
Opportunity ASEAN: Australian Dairy Exports
Jul. 11 – Growing demand in ASEAN for dairy products presents an immense opportunity for dairy product exporters, a void which many Australian dairy producers have been trying to fill. Notably, demand has grown fastest among the ASEAN-6 – which is comprised of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam – thanks to their […]