Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong wants to help his nation’s 96 million motorbike riders go green, replacing their noisy gas guzzlers with electric scooters. VinFast, a subsidiary of Vuong’s Ving…
Chinese Companies Flocking to Southern Myanmar’s Industrial Complex Megaproject
Despite the surge in COVID-19 in Myanmar, Chinese companies including state-owned energy giants are seeking opportunities to invest in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a US$8-billion (10.4-trill…
Rural development through tourism
This year the theme of the World Tourism Day as designated by the UNWTO ‘Tourism and Rural Development’ is very appropriate for the rural-dominating countries of Asia, Africa and Latin Ame…
China’s post-pandemic recovery has severe regional imbalances – survey
While China’s coastal provinces and major cities are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, firms in its poorer western and central provinces are falling well behind in metrics like output an…
Southeast Asia’s wind power in need of investment
Southeast Asia’s wind power sector requires at least US$14 billion of investments by 2030, says Wood Mackenzie. This is to support the 8.9 GW of new wind power capacity that Wood Mackenzie expects to …
Trump and new Japan PM Suga discuss ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’: US
US President Donald Trump on Sunday spoke to Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, to congratulate him on taking office and to discuss a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region, which is increasingl…
Asean’s road to a green economic recovery
In Southeast Asia, Covid-19 has worsened the already grim economic growth in 2019 that resulted from US-China trade tensions and Brexit uncertainties. The latest figure from Asian Development Bank (AD…
Myanmar digital payments platform NearMe plans expansion after 7-figure funding
After raising seven figures in funding, one of Myanmar’s most promising digital payment platforms says it has set its sights on becoming the most widely-used tool for digital transactions in the count…
Asia poised for recovery from recession in near term
Finance ministers and central bank governors of Asean-member countries, China, Japan and South Korea expect recovery from the pandemic-induced global recession in the near term even as they remain on …
World Bank approves $200m support to strengthen Nepal’s financial sector
The World Bank has approved a $200 million ‘Finance for Growth’ development policy credit to strengthen financial sector stability, diversify financial solutions, and increase access to financial serv…