Other Briefings
Southeast Asia Single-Visa Policy in Development
Sept. 13 – Vietnamese tourism minister Hoang Tuan Anh and his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar convened at a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City this week to discuss a plan for the implementation of a single-visa policy between the countries, which should eventually extend throughout all of the Association of Southeast Asian […]
Laos Expands Rail Projects
Sep. 3 – At the end of August a Thai contractor, Sermsaguan Construction Company Ltd., began construction on facilities at Laos’ Thanalaeng station. This station is the start of a railway linking Laos’capital city Vientiane with Thailand’s Nong Khai province. This is just one of many upcoming rail projects for Laos. The first phase of […]
Positive Outlook in ASEAN for American Companies
Aug. 29 – According to the 2012/13 ASEAN Business Outlook Survey the majority of U.S. companies operating in the ASEAN region expect to see continued growth in their Asian operations. The survey, conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and their regional affiliate AmCham Singapore, found that 90 percent of respondents will increase their trade and […]
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.
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.
Mauritius to Tighten India Tax Treaty Loophole, Singapore to Benefit
Jul. 26 – Mauritius, long the largest sender of foreign direct investment into India thanks to a loophole in its tax treaty which allows Mauritius-based holding companies to offset capital gains taxes (CGT), is finally looking to close this loophole following pressure from the Indian government. The Indian government has estimated that over US$74 billion […]
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 […]
ASEAN Moves to Expand Tourism
Tourism appears to be the next key developmental sector for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as it strives to further enhance and integrate the bloc’s regional economies and trade and investment flows.
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 […]
