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Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Commentary: China’s premature bid for hegemony in Southeast Asia
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Manila on Nov 20 and 21 came at a critical juncture in the evolving regional order.
— Channel NewsAsia

GDP growth in Asean expected to slow in 2019: ICAEW report
Economic growth in Asean is expected to slow to 5 per cent in 2019, after an estimated 5.3 per cent in 2018, according to the latest ICAEW report “Economic insight: South-east Asia”.
— The Business Times

Options to mitigate the impacts of the Lower Mekong Basin river damming to fisheries
On the 4th of December, the Greater Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy will meet at the Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar.
— Asean Today

Stopping dirty bombs in Southeast Asia
In August 2018, Malaysian authorities reported the disappearance of an industrial device containing radioactive material.
— East Asia Forum

Southeast Asia braces for more oil volatility ahead of OPEC meeting
Rattled by rapid oil price swings in recent months, Southeast Asian economies are on tenterhooks ahead of an OPEC meeting this week that is expected to result in a supply cut to boost prices.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Hiring prospects for Southeast Asia remain bright
The 2019 hiring outlook for Southeast Asia is expected to remain positive, according to Robert Walters’ latest annual salary survey.
— HRM Asia

Southeast Asian districts popular for expat living
THE number of expatriates moving to Southeast Asia in recent years has increased significantly owing to increased job opportunities and high growth emerging markets in the region.
— Asian Correspondent

Trade war, Fed rate hikes and deflation to impact Asean’s outlook in 2019: Maybank Kim Eng
Three key themes that will drive Asean’s markets and outlook in the coming year include the US-China trade war, Fed rate hikes and tightening monetary conditions, as well as deflationary pressures, according to a report by Maybank Kim Eng.
— The Business Times

Regional government leaders to speak at GovPay 2019
The Governor of West Kalimantan and the CEO of Cyber Security Malaysia will speak at GovPay, GovInsider’s Indonesia summit.
— GovInsider

The ASEAN Prosperity Initiative
While many activists and central planners will disagree with the Nobel economist Hayek, this has been the inescapable reality – as prosperity expands, inequality among people also expands but the state of poverty significantly declines.
— BusinessWorld Online

PH hosting ASEAN third Regional Collaboration Drill
The country is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 3rd Regional Collaboration Drill, maintaining a “One ASEAN, One Response,” where member-nations respond to disasters as one body in and outside the region, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Tuesday.
— Manila Bulletin

Indonesia, Cambodia Agree to Strengthen ASEAN Centrality
ndonesia and Cambodia have agreed to intensify cooperation for ASEAN`s unity and centrality during the 4th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn in Jakarta on Tuesday.
— Tempo.co

Southeast Asia’s Clean Energy Challenge
While the region can’t give up on coal for now, there is a lot it can do to get clean.
— The Diplomat

2018: A transformational year for ride hailing
This year has been transformational for the ride hailing sector in Southeast Asia according to a recent joint report by Google and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.
— The Asean Post

The ASEAN Approach to Food and Water Security
Over 60 million people in South-East Asia suffer from food and water insecurity, with significant disparity in human security within, and between, member states.
— Future Directions International

ASEAN, a strategic partner for Russia
Since Russia became a full-fledged Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1996, the interaction between ASEAN and Russia has progressed significantly.
— Antara News

ASEAN GIVES MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
Pundits and observers of the region have long doubted the agency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – consigning the organisation to the doldrums of history since the early 1990s.
— South China Morning Post

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

RFA, Cambodia Daily may reopen in Cambodia: Interior Minister
The Cambodian government said Tuesday that Radio Free Asia is welcome to reopen its office in the capital Phnom Penh, asserting that no pressure had been applied to RFA to shut down last year and that the congressionally funded U.S.-based international broadcaster had chosen to close on its own.
— Radio Free Asia

Behold the rise of Cambodia’s political princelings
Political dynasties are taking shape as the children of ruling party elites, including PM Hun Sen’s offspring, are promoted to positions of prominence and power.
— Asia Times

EU tariffs on Myanmar, Cambodia rice unclear after EU countries vote
European Union countries failed on Tuesday to determine whether to impose tariffs on rice coming from Cambodia and Myanmar from the start of next year to curb a surge in imports, leaving the European Commission to take the final decision.
— Euronews

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

Lion Air ponders cancelling Boeing jets in row over crash: Sources
Indonesia’s Lion Air is reviewing airplane purchases from Boeing Co and has not ruled out cancelling orders as relations worsen in a spat over responsibility for a 737 jetliner crash that killed 189 people in late October, sources told Reuters.
— Channel NewsAsia/ Reuters

Minister sees inflation at or below 3% this year
Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution expects inflation to come in below 3 percent this year, thanks to control over the prices of major commodities.
— The Jakarta Post

Govt issues $3b debt papers for state budget pre-funding
The Finance Ministry has issued government debt papers (SUN) in United States dollar denomination worth US$3 billion for the 2019 state budget.
— The Jakarta Post

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

Laos set to check all hydropower dams nationwide by 2021
Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath told the National Assembly that inspection teams have completed checks on 20 dams with another 50 yet to be carried out, and the teams plan to finish their work at all dams by 2021.
— Xinhua

Dong Thap promotes investment with Lao provinces
The southern province of Dong Thap held a conference on December 4 to promote investment and trade with the Lao capital of Vientiane and the provinces of Champasak and Salavan.
— Nhan Dan Online

Dozens Trained On Sustainable Development, Urban Planning
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a weeklong training course on “Sustainable Development and Urban Planning” for 20 Lao government officials from 26 to 30 Nov 2018.
— KPL

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Malaysia seeks return of airspace control from Singapore
Malaysia has told Singapore it intends to take back control of airspace that the city-state has managed since 1974 amid a dispute over a flight path to a secondary airport in Singapore, Malaysia’s transport minister said on Tuesday.
— Bangkok Post

Sarawak’s mega projects to boost state’s construction outlook in 2019
The pending implementation of mega projects, especially in Sarawak, will likely provide a boost on the state’s construction outlook next year, the research arm of MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd (MIDF Research) projected in its sector update.
— The Borneo Post

Malaysia’s Oct export growth seen easing to 6.2% year-on-year
Malaysia’s exports are expected to rise 6.2% in October from a year earlier, slightly slower than the previous month’s pace, a Reuters poll showed.
— The Star Online

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

Myanmar’s Eleven Media journalists refuse to apologize to Yangon Government over report
Three journalists from Myanmar’s Eleven Media Group have refused to apologize to the Yangon regional government for a report criticizing its business dealings and budget, and they stand behind the reporting that prompted criminal charges of incitement against them, said the news outlet’s editor-in-chief on Tuesday.
— Radio Free Asia

Officials say boat carrying Rohingya Muslims lands in Indonesia
Indonesian authorities said a boat carrying 20 men believed to be Rohingya Muslims landed on the northeastern shore of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Tuesday.
— Reuters

EU tariffs on Myanmar, Cambodia rice unclear after EU countries vote
European Union countries failed on Tuesday to determine whether to impose tariffs on rice coming from Cambodia and Myanmar from the start of next year to curb a surge in imports, leaving the European Commission to take the final decision.
— Euronews

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu          @stmarisewudolu

‘Philippines to miss growth targets in 2018 and 2019’
Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc. expects the Philippines to miss its economic growth target for this year and next.
— The Philippine Star

Recto bares gaps in P3.757-trillion budget bill
CITING “gaps” in the billions of pesos in the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto on Tuesday asserted the need to fund certain measures in the annual money measure.
— Business Mirror

Makati schools to get P100 million
Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay has allocated P100 million for free educational field trips and other off-campus activities of thousands of public school students in the city.
— Manilastandard.net

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy         @electricnerve

Singapore’s prime minister personally sues critic for sharing article on Facebook
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is suing a vocal critic of his government for defamation for sharing an article on Facebook that suggested he was involved in Malaysia’s multibillion dollar 1MDB financial scandal.
— South China Morning Post

Malaysia wants Johor airspace back from Singapore, says Malaysian Transport Minister
Malaysia will send a protest note to Singapore over the island republic’s plan to use southern Johor airspace for flight operations at Seletar Airport, and start talks on taking back its delegated airspace in the south.
— Today Singapore

Navy exercise highlights Malaysia-Singapore military ties
Over the past week, Malaysia and Singapore held the latest iteration of their bilateral maritime exercise.The interaction cast light on the ongoing defense collaboration underway between the two Southeast Asian neighbors despite lingering challenges in the bilateral relationship.
— The Diplomat

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre          @photo_journ

Ministries told to prepare ‘New Year gifts’ for people
THE CABINET yesterday gave the green light to all government ministries to prepare projects considered “New Year presents” to the people.
— The Nation

Finance Ministry to return VAT payments during Chinese New Year to spur growth
The Ministry of Finance will be rebating Valued Added Tax (VAT) during the Chinese New Year Festival next year up to 20,000 baht per citizen in a move to support economic growth up to 4 percent.
— NBT (video)

New tax law prompts suspicions of snooping
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has passed a bill meant to ensure more effective tax collection, especially from e-commerce businesses.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men          @MenSreypov

Foxconn Plans IPhone Plant In Vietnam In Response To US-China Trade War
Taiwanese electronics assembler Foxconn Technology Group is planning to open an iPhone manufacturing facility for Apple in Vietnam to mitigate the effects of the US-China trade spat, the Vietnam Investment Review reported on October 3.
— Investvine

Manufacturing sector output rises at near-record pace in November
Việt Nam’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose from 53.9 points in the previous month to reach 56.5 points in November, according to the latest survey from Nikkei’s IHS Markit, released on Monday.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam proactively integrates into global economy: Deputy PM
The Government of Vietnam persistently pursues the policy of comprehensive integration, with a focus on international economic integration in a proactive, pragmatic and politic manner, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed at a forum held in Hanoi on December 4.
— Nhan Dan Online

See here for more of today’s Vietnam morning news

The Asean morning news roundup and its individual country morning news round-ups are the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of news reports from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. We scour hundreds of local and international news and websites to find the things that you need to know to start your working week day.

We clearly identify the source of the story, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you. It’s all then packaged up in an easy to read format enabling you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original source, or keep on reading the headlines. AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

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