Relocating Your Business from China to ASEAN – Latest Issue of ASEAN Briefing Magazine

Posted by Written by Ayman Falak Medina Reading Time: < 1 minute

The latest issue of ASEAN Briefing Magazine, titled “Relocating Your Business from China to ASEAN”, is out now and currently available to subscribers as a complimentary download in the Asia Briefing Publication Store.

In this issue:

  • Trade War Incentive Schemes in ASEAN
  • ASEAN as Asia’s New Manufacturing Hub: Too Good to be True?
  • Special Economic Zones in ASEAN: An Introduction for Foreign Investors

ASEAN countries have become an alluring destination for Chinese-based businesses looking to relocate all or part of their production facilities amid the brewing US-China trade war. ASEAN was already China’s largest trading partner in the first half of 2019 as trade turnover increased by 10 percent from 2018 at US$294 billion; overtaking the US for the first time since 1997.

Some investors, however, remain skeptical at the idea of relocating to an ASEAN country, citing the bloc’s lack of developed supply chains and infrastructure. While these are genuine concerns, ASEAN’s growth rates have stabilized at just over four percent in 2019. The bloc has also well-established trade networks, such as the ASEAN-China free trade agreement and is home to prominent international businesses engaging in conventional and nuanced industries. Additionally, ASEAN hosts a young and educated workforce and a growing middle-class.

In this issue of the ASEAN Briefing magazine, we begin by introducing the various incentives issued by ASEAN countries to attract investments from the spillover of the trade war. We then analyze productivity levels in ASEAN and what impact this has on businesses relocating to the region. Finally, we focus on special economic zones (SEZs) in ASEAN and their increasing importance in garnering foreign investments at a time of global economic uncertainty.

About Us

ASEAN Briefing is produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The firm assists foreign investors throughout Asia and maintains offices throughout ASEAN, including in SingaporeHanoiHo Chi Minh City and Jakarta. Please contact us at asia@dezshira.com or visit our website at www.dezshira.com.