Showing 51 - 60 of 87
Pandemic a boost for China's railways
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 25/05/2020
» The Covid-19 pandemic has given a boost to a central component of China's Belt and Road Initiative, as disruptions in sea and air shipping have led companies to turn to trains to move cargo quickly and inexpensively.
Life after lockdown in Wuhan
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 20/04/2020
» After 76 days in lockdown, the central Chinese city of Wuhan -- where the Covid-19 pandemic began -- is no longer sealed off from the world. This month authorities allowed residents to leave the city for the first time since Jan 23 when its 11 million residents were confined to contain the quickly spreading virus.
A new direction for biopharma in China
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 04/05/2020
» While many industries will be in recovery mode for some time to come, one sector that can expect strong growth in China is the biotech and biopharmaceutical industries.
Chinese wine sales go digital
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 27/04/2020
» With restaurants and bars closed, homebound wine drinkers are creating a surge in online wine sales around the world. While the category had previously lagged other consumer products in e-commerce, recent changes such as working from home and social distancing necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic have led to wine sales catching up.
Fighting Covid-19 together
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 06/04/2020
» Economic forecasts for this year were gloomy enough before Covid-19 started to spread around the world. The outbreak has only increased global turbulence as countries impose lockdowns in an attempt to combat the spread of the disease.
Opportunity amid crisis
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 13/04/2020
» While many industries around the world continue to be affected by the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, certain business sectors have benefitted from people and companies changing their behaviour in reaction to the pandemic.
Can Thai fruit restore economic health?
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 09/03/2020
» Thailand's fruit exporters are anxiously hoping that the worst effects of the Covid-19 outbreak will soon be over, as otherwise fruit sales will become another casualty of the virus. Fruit exports have been a star performer for Thailand over the past couple of years, driven mainly by demand from China. In 2018 Thailand's fresh fruit exports to China rose by almost 50% to 700,000 tonnes, and in the first half of last year they rose by a further 123%.
China's tea industry at risk
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 16/03/2020
» China is facing a shortage of tea pickers, in part due to a lack of interest among young Chinese people. Many young people are shunning the highly seasonal and labour-intensive work, opting instead for companies that offer a stable year-round salary.
Can China's remote workers switch off?
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 23/03/2020
» The global impact of Covid-19 has seen millions of employees leave their office environments and work remotely from home, hinting at a fundamental transformation of how companies operate. In China, however, workers in the tech industry are finding that working from home can be even more relentless than their already challenging "996" schedule -- which involves working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.
How can we learn from the coronavirus?
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 17/02/2020
» The negative effects of the new coronavirus, now officially known as Covid-19, have been rippling through the regional economy ever since it was first identified in China at the beginning of this year.