Showing 1 - 10 of 22
Pakistan a hub for South-Central Asian integration
Asia focus, Bilal Khan, Published on 10/01/2022
» Kyrgyzstan has become the latest country to formally express its desire to join the multi-billion-dollar China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) linking Western China with the Pakistani deep seaport of Gwadar at the mouth of Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
Year of Turbulence
Asia focus, Asia Focus Team, Published on 27/12/2021
» Pandemic drags on recovery: In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many Asian countries had enviable success, avoiding large-scale outbreaks and mass deaths. But the arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant this year and sluggish vaccine rollouts compounded by low availability sent cases surging. Combined with poor monitoring and easy movement among countries, often unofficially, Southeast Asia became a virus hotspot. The ballooning health crisis collided with churning political discontent in the case of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. Economically, the new wave of infections, and attendant restrictions imposed to curb the spread, stalled recoveries. After nearly two years of strict border controls, many countries started to loosen up and live with Covid. But the rise of the Omicron variant now threatens to scuttle those tentative reopening plans and usher in a third year of economic anxiety.
The Squid Game K-shock
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 18/10/2021
» When I saw the K-pop sensations BTS taking centre stage at the United Nations headquarters in New York ahead of the General Assembly last month, I was surprised by the cheerful mood of the world-renowned boy band from Asia.
Four-way street
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, Published on 13/09/2021
» 'China versus the Quad" emerged as the theme of a recent panel discussion about the four-nation grouping and how it could shape its relations with other major players in the Indo-Pacific region.
Falling birth rates spell trouble for Southeast Asia
Asia focus, Thaweelap Rittapirom, Published on 14/06/2021
» Birth rates have been declining in nearly every country for decades, alarming demographers and causing governments to begin asking a hard question -- what happens if our population growth stalls, or even begins to slide backwards?
Recovery strategy
Asia focus, Published on 05/10/2020
» Governments in developing East Asia and the Pacific need to invest more in testing and tracing capacity, while expanding social protection to cover the poor and the informal sector, to cope with the "triple shocks" from the Covid-19 pandemic, says the World Bank.
China's e-commerce evolution
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 28/09/2020
» China's government is preparing to accelerate the growth of its already rapidly expanding e-commerce sector by establishing 15 new national e-commerce demonstration bases. These are industry clusters for e-commerce companies and the incubation platforms needed to foster the sector's development.
Make the recovery green
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 29/06/2020
» Southeast Asia has been relatively successful compared to other regions in handling the spread of Covid-19, with Vietnam a world leader. Despite a long border with China and a population of 97 million, Vietnam has recorded just 352 infections and not a single death, thanks to aggressive, targeted testing and a centralised quarantine system.
Approaching India
Asia focus, Patpon Sabpaitoon, Published on 02/03/2020
» There was a time when doing business in India was not for the faint of heart. Local entrepreneurs needed infinite patience just to get a business off the ground, let alone run it to the satisfaction of the country's bureaucrats. As for foreign businesses, forget about it.
Chinese toymakers step up innovation
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 27/01/2020
» China is one of the world's largest toy markets with revenues this year forecast to reach US$64 billion. The market is expected to grow annually by more than 5% thanks to economic growth and a short-lived baby boom after the one-child policy was relaxed in 2015.