CHIANG KHONG – As the trade war with the U.S. intensifies, China is looking to strengthen commercial ties with countries in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia by setting up a free-trade zone on the border between Thailand and Laos. In the planned zone, Beijing will waive tariffs and value-added tax on imports from countries that […]
Read MoreHANOI (AFP) – Vietnam yesterday became the seventh country to ratify a sprawling Pacific trade pact set to come into effect later this year, despite US President Donald Trump’s pullout from a deal he decried as a ‘job killer’. Eleven countries revived a slimmed-down version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without Washington, though the new pact […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) – The Malaysian government’s decision to impose excise duty on sweetened beverages beginning April 1, 2019 is too early and should be done in phases, said Fraser and Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N) Chief Executive Officer Lim Yew Hoe. He said this was due to the difficulty in finding alternatives to sugar. “We […]
Read MoreThe government is in the process of issuing a new regulation on coal miners, which is aimed at strengthening the position of the government. Under the planned regulation, contracts of work (PKP2B) will be replaced by the special mining permit (IUPK). Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry mineral and coal Director General Bambang Gatot Ariyono said the planned regulation was part […]
Read MoreMANILA, Philippines — Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows dropped by more than 41 percent to a five-month low of $752 million in August from $1.28 billion in the same month last year amid concerns over rising interest rates and slower economic expansion, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This was the lowest level […]
Read MoreThe Bank of Thailand is widely expected to leave its key interest rate near a record low on Wednesday, though there was a good chance that the first rate hike in years could come in December, a Reuters survey showed. Nineteen of 22 economists polled by Reuters predicted the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) would keep […]
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Thailand
