If you’re looking for wondering what nation may become the world’s next global manufacturing powerhouse, especially in basic goods, this chart from HSBC provides a few clues
Changes in minimum wage rates are likely to be of significant concern to apparel brands and retailers sourcing from Southeast Asia in 2019, with pay in many countries continuing on an upward trajectory.
ASEAN is now facing circumstances that are fundamentally different from anything it has dealt with before. They require a much more proactive approach on international and regional integration strategies. ASEAN is unlikely to maintain its centrality unless its leaders are prepared to take bold steps, beyond ‘business as usual’.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry CR Chaudhary on Friday said that companies from India and ASEAN countries can also form joint ventures for the purpose.
If anything is clear from the ASEAN Summit and the East Asian Summit held in Singapore last November is that Southeast Asia is now hot property. The heads of state that attended the summit says it all, from Russia’s Vladimir Putin to Japan’s Shinzo Abe – everyone is realising the geostrategic importance of the region.
Indonesia has asked India to cut its tariff on refined palm oil to 45 per cent, matching the levy faced by rival producer Malaysia, and has offered market access for Indian sugar in exchange, the trade ministry said on Saturday.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Government of Canada, in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and Investment held a workshop on public-private partnerships in Vientiane on Feb 22.
Trade tensions between the U.S. and China are adding rocket fuel to the liftoff of Southeast Asia's economies. American tariffs on Chinese-made goods have sped the shift of contract manufacturing to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, such as Vietnam and Thailand. The increase in foreign direct investment into the 10-nation regional trading bloc has been underway for a number of years, however, the trade war continues to drive even more capital into the region. Nikkei just published an article this month titled: “Southeast Asia bucks trend of sinking global foreign investment”.
<p>Time: November 2025<br /> By: WTO and International Trade Group, Legal Department – VCCI</p>
