Economy and commerce
Trade
Laos's Attapeu seizes 9,000 cubic metres of illegal lumber
More than 9,000 cubic metres of illegal timber has been seized in southern Attapeu province since late last year, according to a report by the provincial authorities. Timber traders have reportedly been attempting to export timber through the province, despite an export ban imposed by the ...
Tycoon looks to expand and deepen private Sihanoukville seaport
Agro-industrial tycoon Mong Reththy plans to expand his private port to handle bigger ships and containerised cargoes, increasing potential competition with the country’s principal port in Sihanoukville. “In order to handle container ships, the port must be renovated and the channel deepened to eight metres, which ...
Poverty reduction – Central Highlands’ main political task: PM
Poverty alleviation remains a main political task of the Central Highlands region, stated Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a working session with the Central Highlands Steering Committee in Dak Lak province on June 20. He suggested regional localities study and propose amendments to their specific ...
Exporters ask for exchange solution
Yangon business leaders have joined a call for the new government to address exchange rate regulations, which they say are causing difficulties for exporters trying to convert their earnings back into Myanmar kyat. The problem is that the Central Bank only allows lenders to conduct foreign ...
Change for growth
As the biggest economic center of Vietnam, HCMC is feeling tied by a slew of prevailing regulations. It is desperate for a special governance mechanism so that the metropolis will be able to grow faster and thus fuel development in the rest of the nation. Meanwhile, ...
Laos banks on road link with China
With its fast-growing economy, landlocked Laos is turning a once disadvantageous position into an important land transport link for ASEAN regional connectivity with southern China’s Yunnan province. The 114-kilometre Hongsa-Chiang Man Road, which will be a shortcut to Laos’ northern Luang Prabang province, will link Thailand, ...
First shipment of Australian cattle arrives in Sihanoukville
A ship carrying 2,766 head of Australian cattle dropped anchor off the coast of Sihanoukville on Thursday night and will this morning offload the first delivery of beef cows from the Pacific nation since Phnom Penh and Canberra finalized health protocols two years ago, the ...
Rangoon division parliament demands crackdown on drugs
On 14 June, more than a dozen National League for Democracy lawmakers in the Rangoon Division parliament demanded that authorities crack down on big-time drug dealers and smugglers in the city, who keep evading arrest, citing the worsening effect of drugs on Rangoon’s youth. “One of ...
Slow pace of China’s transition adds to Asian export woes
China’s economic rebalancing is likely to take longer than previously expected, leaving Asian exports. Speaking on 14 June at a KBank seminar for customers on the outlook for the economy, interest rates and foreign-exchange rates, Pareena Phuangsiri, senior specialist at the division, said that while Beijing’s attempt ...
Businesses prefer Vietnam-EU FTA over TPP
When comparing Vietnam’s commitments within the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement and the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, businesses see bigger benefits in EVFTA, especially in government procurement. Tran Quoc Khanh, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said it was not the initial intention of Vietnam to apply ...