Economy and commerce
Trade
6 border crossings shut to keep IS out
Six temporary border crossings have been closed down along the Kolok River in Narathiwat to prevent members of Islamic State (IS) and other insurgents from sneaking into the country, officials said this week. The closures, which began on Tuesday, have affected about 5,000 villagers in eight ...
Mekong tourism forum to promote sustainable tourism among GMS
Around 350 representatives of states, international organisations and the private sector from the Greater Mekong Sub-region, Asia Pacific and the UN World Tourism Organisation are currently attending a tourism forum in Luang Prabang province. The Mekong Tourism Forum was officially opened on June 7 by the ...
European Chamber chief voices scepticism against the BRI
Filip Lauwerysen, executive director of the European Chamber of Commerce Myanmar, wrote to The Myanmar Times and said that the Myanmar government and businesses should be cautious about the BRI, a scheme which he saw as a move by China to align the terms of trade and ...
VN eyes more fruit exports to Japan
Even as Japan is the fifth largest importer of Việt Nam’s agricultural products, only three kinds of Vietnamese fresh fruits are being sold in the country. A report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Export and Import Department showed that Việt Nam earned US$1.46 ...
FSC to investigate Korean conglomerate’s palm oil operations in Indonesia
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), one of the world’s most influential sustainable forestry certification bodies, has announced that it will investigate the Indonesian oil palm operations of Korean agribusiness conglomerate Korindo in response to a formal complaint submitted by environmental group Mighty Earth. The group ...
Indonesia’s plantation lobby challenges environmental law
Palm oil and paper lobby groups have asked Indonesia’s highest court to strike down rules holding plantation firms strictly liable for fires that occur on their land. The groups have also asked the Constitutional Court to eliminate a regulation letting small farmers practice slash-and-burn techniques, the ...
Western policies may slow growth
Long-term growth prospects for developing economies, including Cambodia, will continue to be undermined by a lack of investment as well as the risk of increased protectionist policies by the United States, which could hamper the growth of commodity-driven economies, according to a new report released ...
Abe's belt and road pivot signals push to improve bilateral ties
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conditional support for China’s Belt and Road infrastructure plan tells Beijing that Tokyo is ready to work toward warmer bilateral ties as the future of Asian security grows more uncertain. Abe praised the initiative’s “potential to connect East and West” in ...
Animal farms in Southeast Asia fuel an illegal trade in rare wildlife
The tiger paced back and forth in its cage, groaning mournfully. A second big cat slept soundly in the corner, while a third stared blankly at the bars. Next to this cage was another containing three more tigers, and after that three more cages: a ...
Hòa Phát to issue over 250 million shares
Steelmaker Hòa Phát Group (HPG) plans to issue over 250 million shares to raise capital for investment in the second phase of Hoà Phát Dung Quất iron and steel production complex. HPG will sell those shares at a price of VNĐ20,000 (US$0.8) per share, expecting ...
