Economy and commerce
Trade
Unusual items bump February exports up 10.3%
Thai exports grew in February for the first time in 14 months, thanks to two unusual items — helicopters and an eight-fold increase from a month earlier in gold shipments. In February, customs-cleared exports rose 10.27% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. ...
State, private and foreign banks to compete for SOE clients
Myanmar’s financial regulator has ended state-owned banks’ monopoly on providing foreign currency accounts for state-owned firms, opening a new market to private lenders – both local and international – that could potentially bring vast amounts of public money into the wider banking system. Keep reading ...
Plan aims to rebuild silk sector
With Cambodia’s storied silk industry in rapid decline, the government is looking to revitalise the sector with a new development strategy aimed at making local sericulture more modern, sustainable and inclusive, officials said during a recent industry event. Keep reading ...
Cashew prices reach highest in a decade
The local cashew industry has seen a spike in cashew prices, marking a 10 year record high, mostly due to increasing global prices. Keep reading ...
Reththy, Agriculture Ministry continue to squabble
The Ministry of Agriculture has rejected a request from private-sector rubber firms – led by agricultural tycoon Mong Reththy – for a meeting to discuss the floundering fortunes of the nation’s rubber sector, claiming the ministry was busy and was already addressing the issue. The rejection ...
Vietnam's textile exporter raises nearly $6.9 million in IPO
State-controlled Gia Dinh Textile and Garment Company has sold more than 15 million shares, equivalent to a stake 24.28 percent, for over VND155.8 billion (US$6.89 million) in an initial public offering. Keep reading ...
Laos, Vietnam eye bilateral trade of US$3 billion by 2020
The Lao and Vietnamese governments agreed on 16 March to increase the two countries’ bilateral import-export turnover to US$3 billion by 2020, the Vietnam News reported on 17 March. The agreement was reached during talks between Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung ...
Dizzying trade deficit to greet Myanmar’s new govt
With figures topping US$5 billion, a widening trade deficit is likely to greet Myanmar’s new government on April 1, says the Ministry of Commerce. According to the ministry, the total trade volume reached $25.7 billion between April 2015 and March of this year. Import volume hovered ...
Revised rubber export tax scheme criticised
Rubber producers said on 6 March the Cambodian government’s decision to amend the export tax scheme on natural rubber fell short of expectations and would do little to stem the losses of farmers as rubber prices hover near a six-year low. Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a ...
Challenges lie ahead for Vietnam economic growth
Vietnam has challenges to tackle if it wants to achieve economic targets and deeply integrate into the world’s economy in the context of new trade agreements. Speaking at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on 3 March, Tran Dinh Thien, director of the Vietnam ...
