Nikkei Asian Review
Big Thai banks post profit rise for three straight quarters
Thailand’s four largest banks by assets saw their combined net profits rise for the third consecutive quarter in January to March, helped by lower provisioning for future defaults. Although this is a sign that lenders foresee an improvement in Thailand’s long sluggish economy, some analysts ...
Yusen Logistics building halal warehouse in Thailand
Japan’s Yusen Logistics will build a warehouse that complies with Islamic law in Thailand as early as this month, aiming to capture transport demand in Southeast Asian countries with large Muslim populations such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Islamic law sets various restrictions on products; food ...
ASEAN easing stance on China's maritime encroachment
As leaders of Southeast Asian nations prepare to meet for an annual summit starting Wednesday, their collective stance against China’s territorial ambitions appears to have grown markedly softer, reflecting delicate balancing acts by countries vying for economic assistance from Beijing.Keep reading ...
Trump targets cheap Chinese steel in probe, rallying US steel stocks
President Donald Trump on April 20 launched a trade probe against China and other exporters of cheap steel into the U.S. market, raising the possibility of new tariffs and sending shares of some U.S. steel makers up over 8 percent. Citing concerns about national security, Trump ...
Foreign ministers of US, ASEAN to meet in May
The U.S. Department of State on April 20 said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will chair a meeting with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to be held on May 4 in the U.S. capital. The foreign ministers will discuss China’s maritime aggression ...
Southeast Asian capitals bristle at Trump's trade probe
The Trump administration’s order to probe U.S. trading partners for unfair practices has provoked outrage in the Southeast Asian nations under scrutiny, and threatens to deepen a divide that leaves the region more exposed to Chinese influence. Indonesia, for one, has challenged the notion that ...
Vietnam's FPT looks to put self-driving cars on Asian roads
IT company to challenge global giants with low-cost tech. Vietnam’s FPT aims to jostle into competition among industry titans like Apple and Google over autonomous vehicles by commercializing a low-cost system within the next two years. The country’s leading information technology company is targeting about $200 million in annual sales from ...
Tepco, Toshiba to manage power grids in Cambodia
Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings will team with Toshiba to manage power grids in Cambodia, hoping to secure a new earnings source as the utility grapples with soaring cleanup costs for the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. T.T. Network Infrastructure Japan, a joint venture between Tepco and Toshiba, ...
Myanmar designates 20 fields to promote investment
Myanmar’s efforts to promote investment will target 20 newly designated fields covering 192 types of businesses and services, using a law enacted in October that makes it easier for foreign companies to receive tax benefits. The industries covered include manufacturing, agriculture, urban development, communications and medicine, while fields ...
Monetary tightening emerges as risk to Chinese economy
China economists increasingly see tighter monetary policy by the People’s Bank of China as a downside risk, voicing concerns that efforts to curb capital outflows and a real estate bubble will weigh on the economy. Tighter monetary policy has surged to second place on a ...