Economy and commerce

When the US government relaxed sanctions on Myanmar’s state-run companies and banks but stopped short of lifting all sanctions in May this year, the US Chamber of Commerce was not pleased. The American business lobby called for the US to “normalize” relations fully and introduce preferable trade ...

The divisional government launched an investigation into a resort and culture park under construction on the eastern bank of the famous Thaungthaman Lake outside the city of Mandalay, after local residents complained about the impact of the project. Some of the initial construction near the famous ...

The bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping Global has surprised the world’s freight & forwarding market and caused alarm among Vietnamese goods owners. The international press has reported that the Hanjin Shipping Global, one of the world’s 10 largest shipping firms, has filed for bankruptcy in the South ...

China has agreed to double its rice import quota, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced at the opening of the first Chinese-Cambodia investment forum in Nanning, China on September 12, offering a much-needed boost to Cambodia’s beleaguered rice sector. The prime minister said China’s government had officially ...

Palm sugar producers in Kampong Speu province say they are ready to scale up and meet demand as global consumer goods giant Unilever looks to source palm sugar for its products from the Cambodian market. Prak Sereywath, president of the Cambodia Institute for Research and Rural ...

Following Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s recent announcement of boosting investment and its presence in the market of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a question comes to mind – can China and Southeast Asian countries integrate each other’s huge consumer markets via e-commerce platform? The ...

Laos has proposed three additional Mekong River bridge links with Thailand as part of a joint project to foster closer ties between the two countries. The proposal suggests bridges be built to link the Lao and Thai provinces of Borikhamxay and Bung Karn, Saravan and Ubon ...

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s visit to Nanning in southwestern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has brought closer relations between the two countries, a Cambodian senior official said on September 12. “The prime minister’s visit to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China ended ...

Only certain species of trees grown in managed plantations may be exported, not all species, the government spokesman said last week. Eucalyptus and kathinnalong trees whose trunks measure 12 centimetres or less may be felled for export but trees with larger trunks must not be used ...

This year’s prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta has destroyed more than 81,000 hectares of prime shrimp breeding areas in eight provinces, says the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Shrimp farmers in Ca Mau Province in the very south of the country, ...