ASEAN and the world

As Chair of ASEAN in 2016, Laos is exerting every effort to turn challenges from the year-end establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) into opportunities.

Thailand invested THB64.75 billion (about USD1.9 billion) into other ASEAN nations, accounting for 27 percent of the total of THB242.9 billion channelled overseas from January to September this year, according to the Bank of Thailand.

China’s national flag carrier Air China launched a new air route connecting Beijing to Cuba’s capital city of Havana on December 27th.

Malaysia recorded bilateral trade of USD10.8 billion with the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the first eight months of this year, making it the 12th biggest trade partner of the RoK.

Analyst Jayant Rikhye from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has stated that underestimating the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would be a mistake since the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be formally established on December 31st, marking a milestone in its long path towards a single coherent market.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has approved a decision to establish three committees on land border demarcation and landmark planting with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Dozens of people were still missing by December 26th after a landslide occurred in a jade mining area in northern Myanmar, the second such incident in just over a month, according to local media.

Thailand is exerting every effort to deal with difficulties in education and training as eight percent of the country’s labour force were evaluated to have professional skills compared to 35 percent of Singapore and 20 percent of Malaysia.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a package of reforms to improve and speed delivery of its assistance to member countries and enhance operational efficiency, contributing to a core component of the Midterm Review (MTR) of Strategy 2020.

Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) is focusing on disseminating information on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to the public before the deal is submitted to the parliament in January 2016.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on major businesses in the country to give proposals to promoting economic collaboration among member countries of cooperation organisations such as EAEU, SOC and ASEAN.

Thailand, one of the ten countries with the strongest competitiveness in Southeast Asia, is ready for both opportunities and challenges from the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a Thai official has said.

The Myanmar government has invited Wa ethnic armed group, one of the seven remaining ceasefire non-signatories, to join the union-level peace conference slated for January 12th, 2016, an official said on December 22nd.

The cabinet has approved the establishment of corruption courts for state officials and people in the private sector.

The European Union and the Philippines agreed to start negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) on December 22nd.

A ceremony to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was held at Clark Air Base in Pampanga province, the Philippines, on December 21st.

(CPV) - ADB is providing an aggregate of USD130 million in loans and USD1.05 million in technical assistance grants to three financial institutions to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) and farmers, helping them to raise income levels and employment.

Thailand and China started construction on a USD14 billion railway projects in Chiang Rak Noi Station in central Thailand's Ayutthaya province on December 19th.

(CPV) - ADB’s updated business plan for Azerbaijan will allocate around USD1.5 billion in loans and technical assistance grants to help the country diversify its economy and promote sustainable, non-oil growth.

President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III declared a state of national calamity after the country suffered a week of heavy rains and severe flooding following Typhoon Melor, which claimed 35 lives.

The National Assembly of the Philippines on December 17 approved a draft state budget for 2016.

The Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) sailed through the Senate of France in Paris on December 17th with 100 percent of the vote.

The Philippines’ troops said on December 15th at least 13 Abu Sayyaf insurgents were killed while the government army had two lost and ten injured in a fighting in Basilan province, South Philippines.

(CPV) - Japan and ADB are supporting a project that aims to scale up incomes and new employment opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs selling crafts and local food to tourists and residents in four townships in Mon state—Chaungzon Island, Kyaikto, Mawlamyine and Mudon.

Japan has showed its strong determination to join Thailand and Myanmar in developing a special economic zone (SEZ) in Dawei in Myanmar’s southern province of Tanintharyi.

Myanmar’s Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) on December 15th approved the draft framework for holding political dialogue between the Government and ethnic armed groups.

(CPV) - East Asia is aging faster than any other region in history, and some middle-income and wealthier economies could lose as much as 15 percent of their working-age population by 2040, according to a new World Bank report.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will pay an official visit to Thailand on December 18th-19th and co-chair the two countries’ joint cabinet meeting, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

More than 700,000 people in the central Philippines have evacuated to safe areas for fear of huge waves, flood and landslides as tropical storm Melor hit the country on December 14th, according to Philippine authorities.

The Cambodia Sea Festival 2015 with the theme of “Clean bay, strong economy” took place from December 11th -13th in Kampot province.