Asean morning news for November 22,

Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

ASEAN’s False US-China Choice: Rhetoric and Reality
An overemphasis on Southeast Asia’s false choice between Washington and Beijing grossly oversimplifies regional realities.
— The Diplomat

Russia Concerned Over Western Chemical Weapons Found In Vietnam, Laos, Panama – Official
Russia is concerned that UK and US chemical weapons have been found in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Panama, Georgy Kalamanov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP CWC) said Wednesday.
— UrduPoint

Govt reveals digital transformation master plan
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) is preparing a master plan for collaboration that echoes Asean’s theme of “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”, which was chosen by Thailand as the theme of its chairmanship in 2019.
— Bangkok Post

Asean ‘may have to choose between US, China’
Southeast Asian nations may soon have to “choose sides” between the US and China in their ongoing trade war, the political heir to Cambodia’s strongman ruler Hun Sen warned Wednesday in rare public comments.
— Bangkok Post

Asean countries struggling with inadequate labour skills
About half the population of the Asean region live in rural areas and suffer from a shortage of quality jobs and underemployment.
— Vientiane Times

Google-Temasek Study Sees $240b Southeast Asia Internet Economy by 2025
Southeast Asia’s internet economy is expected to exceed $240 billion by 2025, a joint study by Google and Temasek Holdings showed, a fifth more than previously estimated, as more consumers use their smartphones to go online.
— Jakarta Globe

E-commerce fuels region’s internet economy
A recent joint report by Google and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings has revealed that Southeast Asia’s internet economy could be worth more than US$240 billion by 2025 – surpassing previous estimates of US$200 billion.
— The Asean Post

Policing the South China Sea
At the recently concluded 33rd ASEAN Summit, ASEAN member states expressed their desire to complete the Single Draft Negotiating Text for the Code of Conduct (COC) by next year to resolve the maritime dispute in the South China Sea.
— The Asean Post

ASEAN Center of Military Medicine Center of region’s humanitarian
The ASEAN region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world; therefore, to help facilitate humanitarian assistance, the ASEAN Center of Military Service has been established to provide assistance when required.
— News Today (video)

Making Asean the next global power-house
ALL eyes are on Asean as the region of 650 million sets its sights on becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2050.
— The Business Times (paywall)

China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand Start Mekong River Patrol
Naval commandos from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have completed on Wednesday a joint police patrol on the Mekong River, in order to strengthen security measures and fight terrorism and cross-border crimes in that river.
— Prensa Latina

Seoul spreads wings by co-opting Southeast Asia
On November 14, South Korean President Moon Jae-in illustrated the essence of this policy to ASEAN members while attending the 20th ASEAN-South Korea summit in Singapore.
— Global Times

Trend Tracker: The latest food industry trends in ASEAN, flavours, Nestle health and wellness and more
Food industry experts from the ‘Asean-5’ – the fastest growing economies in South East Asia – have lifted the lid on the key food and beverage trends driving growth in their countries, and the major challenges the continue to face.
— Foodnavigator-asia.com

Egis to work on €1bn plan for making Asian cities more ‘liveable’
The Asian Development Bank aims to support the authorities in the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos in financing and delivering plans to improve the cities.
— The Construction Index

Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference Closes
The Asia-Pacific region is growing rapidly despite uncertainty related to the trade conflict between Mainland China and the United States.
— Market Watch

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve

Asean may be forced to choose between US, China: Cambodia PM’s son
Southeast Asian nations may soon have to “choose sides” between the US and China in their ongoing trade war, the political heir to Cambodia’s strongman ruler Hun Sen warned Wednesday in rare public comments.
— The Nation

Cambodia marks water festival with boat races
Cambodia began to celebrate the three-day Water Festival on Wednesday with boat races attracting tens of thousands of spectators from across the kingdom.
— Xinhua

Cambodia Airways in talks with Boeing for possible future expansion
Cambodia Airways is holding talks with Boeing, the American airplane manufacturer, to explore possible business ties as part of their expansion plan next year.
— The Phnom Penh Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

State revenues from mineral and coal increase to Rp41.77 trillion
Indonesia`s non-tax state revenues from the mineral and coal sub-sector reached Rp41.
— Antara News

Government expands VAT export service to zero percent
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that the government has expanded the tax facilities on export services, in the form of zero percent value added tax (VAT), to encourage increased service exports.
— Antara News

Malaysia, Indonesia achieve breakthrough in territorial disputes
After 13 years of negotiations, Malaysia and Indonesia have finally achieved a breakthrough with regard to the two maritime territorial disputes in Sulawesi Sea and the southern part of Malacca Straits.
— The Sun Daily

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

US bombs continue to kill in Laos 50 years after Vietnam War
This year’s Thanksgiving celebration marks 50 years since the American military embarked on the biggest bombing campaign in history, decimating the small Southeast Asian country of Laos by dropping more than two million tonnes of bombs on it at the height of the Vietnam War.
— Aljazeera

Laos to cut civil servant employment to ease budgetary intension
The Lao government will cut the annual quota of new civil servants from 3,000 people this year to 1,500 people next year to ease its budgetary burden, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith told the parliament on Tuesday.
— Brinkwire (media release)

Lax Investment Law Enforcement in Laos Brings Flood of Small Chinese Businesses
The Lao government’s failure to strictly enforce foreign investment laws is allowing a growing number of Chinese entrepreneurs to dodge investment rules and avoid paying taxes while operating shops and restaurants in the Southeast Asian country, an official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment told RFA’s Lao Service.
— Radio Free Asia

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

IPIC Alleges a “MASSIVE GLOBAL CONSPIRACY” By Goldman Sachs!
Today 1MDB has further erupted into an existential threat to one of the world’s most powerful banks, Goldman Sachs, which is now being sued by one of the world’s most powerful sovereign wealth funds, IPIC/Mubadala.
— Sarawak Report

We have thousands of corruption cases under Najib’s govt, says Dr M
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said there are thousands of graft cases from Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration and the major ones mainly involved Umno leaders.
— Malay Mail

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve

Myanmar dead bottom among ASEAN countries in ease of doing business
Myanmar has been at the bottom of the list of 10 ASEAN countries in the ease of doing business ranking, according to a 2019 Doing Business in Myanmar report.
— Eleven Media

Myanmar makes efforts to strengthen kyat against USD
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) is making efforts to raise the value of kyat and prevent dollarization by making use of Myanmar currency compulsory for all transactions across the country to make the kyat stronger and to curb illegal hoarding of money, CBM Deputy Governor U Bo Bo Nge said.
— Xinhua

When it comes to ICERD, neighbours Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei of same mind
None of them have committed to eventually complying with the United Nations’ (UN) International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
— Yahoo News

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Government overspends on infrastructure, exceeds 9-month target
Government spending on infrastructure exceeded its target in the first nine months with the Duterte administration’s massive infrastructure program already in full swing, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
— The Philippine Star

PHL, Japan exchange notes on ¥206B in loans for 2 infra projects
The governments of the Philippines and Japan on Wednesday signed and exchanged two documents on the Japanese government’s commitments to provide around ¥206 billion (P95.2 billion) in loans for two infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration.
— GMA News

Xi Jinping promises mechanism to avoid harassment of fishermen in South China Sea – Zubiri
Chinese President Xi Jinping promised leaders of the Philippines’ Congress that he will push for a “maritime mechanism” that ensures fishermen will not be harassed in the disputed South China Sea.
— CNN Philippines

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve

Singapore-based website The Online Citizen goes on ‘hiatus’ after government raid
The Online Citizen which claims to be Singapore’s “longest-running independent online media platform” has found itself in the thick of an investigation around defamation.
— Mumbrella Asia

Singapore’s first bitcoin trial begins, with dispute on trades allegedly reversed wrongfully
The trial for Singapore’s first legal dispute involving the cryptocurrency bitcoin started on Wednesday (Nov 21), with a court expected to decide whether a number of trades done in April last year had been wrongfully reversed – leading to proceeds deducted allegedly without authorisation.
— The Star Online

Singapore, India stress on freedom of navigation
India and Singapore on Tuesday reiterated the need for all countries to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in the backdrop of China’s aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea.
— The Times Of India

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Terminal put on ice pending feedback
Airports of Thailand (AoT) has put the brakes on a second terminal scheduled to be built at Suvarnabhumi airport, pending steps to glean opinions from relevant parties including the International Civil…
— Bangkok Post

Fast-lane online visa system launched at Thai airports
The Immigration Bureau acting commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakparn has officially launched the e-Visa on Arrival system today that is expected to cut visa processing times to as little as one minute and reverse the downward trend of Chinese tourist visitation.
— The Thaiger

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Digital transformation emphasised as urgent tasks
Enterprises need to change their mindset to move into the digital world ahead of the fourth industrial revolution, a leading government minister said this week.
— BIZHUB

European firms advised to partner with Vietnamese peers
Businesses from the EU should rapidly join hands with Vietnamese firms to seize the huge opportunities from the Vietnamese market, given by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), experts said.
— Hanoi Times

Vietnam government should redefine its role in market economy: Experts
Vietnamese government should redefine the relationship between government agencies and enterprises in the market economy, in turn making substantial changes in the business environment, according to economist Pham Chi Lan.
— Hanoi Times

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.

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