Showing 51 - 60 of 565
Labour outlook troubling
Asia focus, Pattama Kuentak, Published on 24/01/2022
» The global labour market has suffered a setback from waves of the pandemic, with the recovery depending on each country's ability to contain and respond to coronavirus outbreaks, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Fragile, uneven recovery
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 24/01/2022
» The world has entered 2022 facing numerous uncertainties. After two years of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the emergence of the Omicron variant now poses challenges to economies even in countries where vaccination rates are high.
Asean needs a Middle Path
Asia focus, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 17/01/2022
» Despite the economic downturn during the Covid-19 pandemic, China-sponsored infrastructure, trade and cooperation initiatives with Southeast Asian nations have been moving forward consistently -- amplifying the presence of Beijing in one of the world's fastest growing regions.
Where To Next?
Asia focus, Pattama Kuentak, Published on 10/01/2022
» The world has entered its third year of living with a global pandemic. We have witnessed almost 300 million Covid-19 cases with 5.47 million lives lost, yet the toll might have been much worse but for an almost superhuman global effort to develop effective vaccines in record time.
Trading up
Asia focus, Asia Focus, Published on 10/01/2022
» Ravaged by the fallout from Covid-19, countries in Asia and the Pacific are hoping to revitalise their pandemic-hit economies as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) takes effect to create the world's largest trade bloc.
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.
Restarting tourism, recharging life
Asia focus, Panicha Thananaken, Published on 03/01/2022
» November 1 was the official start of Thailand's open-border policy to once again welcome tourists on a large scale. The success of domestic vaccinations against the coronavirus was one factor that helped make the reopening possible, with about 69% of the population now having received at least two doses.
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.
Thai digital transformation at an inflection point
Asia focus, Benjamin Fingerle and Boriwat Pinpradab, Published on 27/12/2021
» One year ago, the Thailand Management Association (TMA) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) conducted their first assessment of the state of digital transformation in Thailand against a global benchmark based on the Digital Acceleration Index (DAI) developed by BCG.
Unlocking potential in South Asia
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 20/12/2021
» South Asia, home to nearly two billion people, has been among the fastest-growing regions in the world over the past decade. Yet intraregional trade is well below expected levels, suggesting that regional spillover from the growth of some individual countries has been limited.