Thai media on February 9 quoted Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak as saying that he had ordered the Commerce Ministry to submit a request to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Manufacturers across Asean entered the new year with subdued activity, with only the Philippines and Myanmar seeing increased Year-on-Year (YoY) output. Both, however, saw the majority of their annual increase eroded in the first month of 2019, with only Malaysia seeing month-on-month (MoM) growth.
The Philippine manufacturing sector outperformed those in ASEAN despite registering a slower expansion in January, according to the latest Nikkei ASEAN Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).
Concluding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will be the biggest challenge during Thailand’s Asean chairmanship this year, as failing to do so will gravely damage the credibility of the Southeast Asian grouping, international relations experts cautioned on Tuesday.
The United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Asia last week announced the launch of two programmes that will deliver a total of $43 million in funding to support low carbon transitions and economic reform in the Asean region.
Since the US-China trade war is expected to drag on this year and further depress exports, Thailand needs to seek long-term benefits from economic integration within Asean in order to offset the wounds inflicted by the war, international relations experts and financial sector representatives said yesterday.
Southeast Asian economies may face major economic headwinds this year amid US–China trade tensions and US Federal Reserve interest rate increases. To help weather the impact, ASEAN member states should prioritise progress on regional economic initiatives.
Vietnamese enterprises have the potential to participate in regional and global production value chains on par with the leading countries in ASEAN, because Viet Nam has been a top priority choice of multinational corporations.
<p>Time: November 2025<br /> By: WTO and International Trade Group, Legal Department – VCCI</p>
