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 […]
ASEAN Automobile Market to See Continued Growth
Aug. 16 – A recent report released by market research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan notes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to become the fifth largest buyer of cars by 2019. Fueled by rising incomes and a prime-age demographic, ASEAN’s automobile market has been forecasted to grow at a compound […]
Myanmar Approves Plans for New International Airport
Aug. 14 – This week Myanmar approved the Incheon International Airport Corporation’s bid for the construction of a US$1.1 billion airfield to be located within the country’s commercial center of Yangon. The airport, to be called the Hanthawaddy International Airport, will begin construction next year under the management of Incheon, a Korean company with experience […]
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, Indonesia Ready to Phase out Haze
Jul. 19 – The ASEAN nations have recently agreed to better monitor the burning of jungles throughout the region – especially in Indonesia and Malaysia – by way of a newly signed agreement after thick smoke has clouded parts of Singapore for much of the past month. The agreement allows for the better dissemination of monitoring […]
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.
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 […]
ASEAN-India Center to Boost Economic and Cultural Relations
Jul. 5 – New Delhi is now home to the newly inaugurated ASEAN-India Center (AIC), a resource center designed to increase political and economic relations between India and the 10-nation ASEAN bloc. The center is sponsored by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a think tank managed by the Ministry of External Affairs […]
ASEAN Customs Meeting Held in Singapore
Jun. 7 – From June 4 to 6, Singapore hosted ASEAN’s Customs Directors to greater facilitate regional coordination of their customs operations. The directors will be working to further integrate their customs processes. The customs meeting provides an annual forum to discuss strategy and policy for all ASEAN customs operations. “The meeting is an annual […]
Philippines Calls For Integrated ASEAN Customs Union
May 9 – The 18th Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Customs (CCC) opened this week at the Clark Freeport Zone in the northern Philippine province of Pampanga. During the key note presentation, Philippine Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon highlighted the important role played by the various customs agencies in Southeast Asia in establishing a […]