An elevated fiscal deficit will result in growing public debt, which will ramp up pressure on Laos' debt servicing capacity amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Vientiane Times reported on August 21.
Ministers from Asia-Pacific countries negotiating a sprawling free trade agreement will virtually meet this week with the aim of reaching a deal by year-end, while maintaining hope that India will return to the talks, the Japanese government said Tuesday.
Economic ministers of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday discussed the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic and its impacts.
In the foreseeable future, Thailand will be shying away from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The country lacks necessary preparedness and consensus for the high-end free-trade arrangement. It still needs to modernise the tax system and enact new legislature to catch up with global trading rules. In addition, without any reconciliation of existing polarised views between the governmental agencies, private sector and civil society organisations, any attempt to enter the CPTPP's negotiation process now would be futile. It could also drive a further wedge into society, especially at this juncture.
Companies seeking to reduce dependence on China by diversifying supply chains amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic would have mixed implications on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies, Moody’s Investors Service said.
The center aims to serve 4,000 enterprises with warehouses and exhibition centers in ASEAN countries
As the world is embracing automation and smart technology through the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, digital literacy, technological skills and knowledge of tech trends are vital.
The Prime Minister has issued a plan to implement a memorandum of understanding on the development and connection of border trade infrastructure between Vietnam and Cambodia.
<p>Time: November 2025<br /> By: WTO and International Trade Group, Legal Department – VCCI</p>
