Fitch Ratings on Monday revised its 2019 growth forecast for Malaysia to 4.6%, from 4.2%, after the country reported stronger-than-expected growth in the first half. Malaysia’s central bank repo…
A Capital City in the Jungle? It’s Not a Crazy Idea
Indonesia’s president wants to spend at least $30 billion to move the capital to a forest on the island of Borneo. The proximate trigger is climate change – Jakarta is sinking into the sea. President …
Vietnam and Indonesia stand out as Belt and Road bets, reports show
Southeast Asia is becoming ever more of a hotbed for investment related to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, two separate reports issued this month show. Chinese investment and construction cont…
Việt Nam needs skilled workers for digital transformation
To transition from a natural resources-based labour intensive economy to a knowledge-based economy, VIệt Nam should acquire a high-skilled workforce that can navigate the digital transformation, exper…
Jokowi encourages production of palm oil-based avtur
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has encouraged Indonesia to produce palm oil-based aviation fuel to make it no longer rely on imported avtur. “We have produced avtur and we don’t need to im…
Indonesia’s palm oil finds silver lining in biofuel, China amid EU trade row
As Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer and exporter, commits to fighting the EU’s ban on the use of palm oil for its member countries’ biodiesel, it may find solace near home. President Joko …
Southeast Asians learn best practices in climate-smart agri in Quezon
‘It takes a village to scale climate-smart agriculture.” This statement of Leocadio S. Sebastian, regional program leader for CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in…
$5-trillion question: Can Modi hit his economic target?
One hundred trillion rupees (US$1.4 trillion) for highways, railways, airports, waterways, crop storage and digital infrastructure; 20 million new houses; 125,000 kilometres of roads; a reduction in f…