ASEAN-Japan partnership: 45 years on
23 April 2018
Southeast Asia’s deep tech scene
23 April 2018
Thai energy companies are expanding throughout ASEAN
23 April 2018
Geopolitics
Geopolitics
32nd ASEAN Summit Update: Suu Kyi to skip Singapore Summit
Myanmar State Counsellor and de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi will be skipping the 32nd edition of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit taking place in Singapore this week. This will be her first time missing the summit after coming into power in 2016.According to government…
ASEAN-Japan partnership: 45 years on
As Japan and ASEAN celebrate a bond that is now in its 45th year, the historical foundations and possible benefits of such a partnership ought to be grasped and valued. Japan has always been an important external partner for ASEAN, especially after the establishment of informal dialogue relations…
India's Modi to visit China's Xi in new sign of diplomatic thaw
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, as relations between the world’s two most-populous countries thaw after a tense border dispute last year.The “informal summit” between Xi and Modi will be held Friday and Saturday in Wuhan, the capital…
Scratching the surface of political prisoners in Myanmar
On Tuesday, the government of Myanmar began the release of over 8,000 prisoners on humanitarian grounds under a presidential pardon granted by newly elected President Win Myint. The pardon, which coincided with the Burmese New Year, Thingyan, also saw the release of 36 political prisoners.…
Energy
Energy
China’s energy ambitions in Southeast Asia
A Pan-Asian super grid connecting electrical transmission networks across the continent providing clean and renewable power to more than half the world’s population may be a…
Developments of the ASEAN Power Grid and Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline
An impressive period of sustained economic success has seen energy demand in Southeast Asia increase beyond twofold. These trends emerge against the backdrop of evolving global…
Energy storage in Southeast Asia
Rio Tuba, located in the Municipality of Bataraza on the island of Palawan in the Philippines is a predominantly mountainous region with roads riddled with potholes making it…
Markets
Market
Warburg-backed bank sets new record in $922 million Vietnam IPO
Techcombank, the Vietnamese lender backed by Warburg Pincus, is setting a fresh record with its initial public offering.The bank and some existing investors are set to raise about 21 trillion dong ($…
Thai energy companies are expanding throughout ASEAN
Thai energy companies are growing beyond their own borders, with projects slated for the rest of the region. These planned projects are a testament to Thailand’s energy policies and the savviness of…
Indonesia's scramble for Africa
Indonesia recently concluded the Indonesia-Africa Forum held in Nusa Dua, Bali which saw the attendance of over 500 delegates from Indonesia and Africa. The forum was held to foster a strong economic…
Telecommunications market in ASEAN
Although divided by arbitrary physical borders, the ASEAN region is digitally interconnected. In light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technological progress should not be deemed a success,…
Indonesia decision guide: Anti-inflation steps mean BI can hold
Indonesia’s central bank is in no rush to pull the interest rate trigger just yet, thanks in part to the government.While policy makers in Malaysia have started raising rates, Bank Indonesia has…
Technology
Technology
Southeast Asia’s deep tech scene
Today, technology is widely associated with the digital realm - computers, the internet, mobile device, and smartphones, - just to name a few, which has seen the…
Global tech companies in Southeast Asia
Against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Southeast Asia is slowly but surely turning into a battleground for international tech companies to flex their…
Indonesia’s booming tech startup scene
Indonesia’s strong economic growth in recent years has led to the flourishing of the nation’s digital economy. Over the past decade, Indonesia has been growing at a…
Environment
Environment
ASEAN’s contribution to realising the Paris Agreement
Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bear minimal historical responsibility to carbon emissions but are equally suffering the impact of climate change as its effects on the world become more apparent. True ‘climate justice’ was needed and in December 2015, with the adoption of the Paris Agreement by 195 countries, justice was served. Global leaders pledged to counteract the threat of climate change by ensuring worldwide temperature rise was limited to below two degrees…
The Balikpapan oil spill could have long-term effects
Last week, tragedy struck the waters of Balikpapan Bay as an underwater pipeline transporting crude oil cracked and leaked oil into the ocean. The oil spill first occurred over the weekend at the beginning of the month and is now beginning to spread into the open ocean. Reports say that the oil slick has now spread across an area greater than the size of the city of Paris.The oil spill which took place in the East Kalimantan province is also said to be responsible for the deaths of five…
The geopolitics behind environmental protection
Environmental issues like climate change and greenhouse gas emissions have come to shape the global agenda for the future. The logic it follows is simple – no environment, no humanity. This concern was most urgently dealt with on a cold winters’ day in December 2015 in Paris when the leaders of 195 countries agreed to adopt the world’s first ever universal global climate deal. The Paris agreement aimed to counteract the threat of global climate change by ensuring global temperature rise was…
The return of Indonesia’s forest fires
Late last month, Indonesia saw the return of its infamous forest fires that occur each year producing toxic, choking smog in the form of haze as the rainy season trails off. The fires this time have broken out in the four provinces of South Sumatra, Riau, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. Twenty-three of the 90 hotspots recorded across the country were in West Kalimantan, where thick smoke blanketed the provincial capital Pontianak and disrupted flights. In Riau, one of the hardest-hit…
Opinion
Opinion
Real Estate
Real Estate
Singapore sustains comeback in home sales with gains in December
Singapore sustained a comeback in home sales in December.
Property tax reforms in Myanmar could kickstart infrastructure development
Myanmar has a notoriously low residential property taxes rate, accounting for just 7.5% of GDP, compared to the 13-14% its neighbours, Laos and…
Li Ka-shing predicts strong demand for Hong Kong property
Home prices in Hong Kong rose about 14 percent last year even after the government pushed through new taxes and mortgage curbs.
Singapore property bulls ignore Central bank's warning into 2018
Property companies such as City Developments and UOL Group Ltd. are among the top performers in Singapore in 2017, with developers collectively on…
Manila gridlock spurs dormitory demand in the Philippines
Ayala Land is investing three billion pesos (58 million dollars) building five dormitories on four sites in the Makati and Taguig business districts.
Events
Home Event
32nd ASEAN Summit
Event Location
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
77 views
4th International Sustainable Energy Summit (ISES) 2018
Event Location
Pullman Hotels and Resorts, Kuching, Sarawak
106 views
ASEAN-EU Business Summit 2018
Event Date
03/02/2018
Event Location
The Grand Hyatt Singapore
238 views