Other Briefings
The European Free Trade Association and Malaysia begin Fourth Round of Trade Negotiations
In April, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) held its fourth round of trade negotiations with Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. The EFTA is made up of four countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
State by State: ASEAN and Minnesota Trade
Minnesota’s almost billion-dollar trade surplus with ASEAN is impressive; in 2014, Minnesota’s exports of US$1.77 billion far exceeded imports from the region of US$808.4 million. ASEAN received 8.3% of the state’s total exports in that year.
Indonesia Gives Tax Breaks to Exporting Manufacturers
Indonesia has brought in tax breaks for enterprises exporting a minimum of 30 percent of their production, in line with tax breaks for multinationals re-investing profits in-country rather than sending profits and dividends to overseas shareholders.
Indonesia’s Economy Struggles to find its Footing
For the second quarter in a row, Indonesia’s economy contracted as exports and government spending continued to decline – GDP was down 0.18 percent. The country’s currency, the rupiah, also fell.
The Cost of Business in Singapore Compared With Hong Kong, China
The seventh part in our comprehensive look at how doing business in ASEAN compares with China, this time focusing on the Singapore.
26th ASEAN Summit sees Progress on AEC and FTA with Hong Kong
The 26th ASEAN Summit was recently held in Malaysia on April 26-27. During the meeting, leaders from the member nations discussed the progress of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations with Hong Kong.
The Big Players in ASEAN-Africa Trade
The Asia-Africa Summit has been taking place in Jakarta over the past few days, with government officials from over 100 countries taking part. High-level dignitaries attending the event have included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Indian Minister Sushma Swaraj, as well as heavy hitters from the smaller nations of both regions.
The Philippines Calls for a Further Simplified Tax System
Over the past year, the Philippines has been making great strides in improving its business environment. Chief among these improvements has been the government’s efforts to simplify the country’s tax system. While the initial steps in this area have met with some success, there have been calls from within and outside of the government to further improve the tax system.
The Cost of Business in the Philippines Compared With China
When considering where to locate, compare China to the Philippines, an ASEAN Tiger with a population of about 100 million and GDP of USD300 billion that has been performing well over the past few years. Here, we discuss how the country can fit into a firm’s business model.
May 2015 ASEAN Regional Meetings
There are a number of important ASEAN regional meetings taking place in May, including the ASEAN-Japan Forum held in Cambodia, and the 28th ASEAN-US Dialogue held in Washington D.C.
