ASEAN and the world

The Lao Ministry of Health reported on August 2 that the country had recorded an additional 199 COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, raising the national count to 6,765, including seven fatalities.

Cambodia began a COVID-19 vaccination drive targeting children aged 12-17 in its capital Phnom Penh and three provinces of Kandal, Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk on August 1.

The European Union’s Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region (SHARE) Programme has recently held its 12th Policy Dialogue Webinar Series with the main theme “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable ASEAN Higher Education Space”.

Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said his country is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to finalise a deal in building a COVID-19 vaccine producing centre.

Chairman of the State Administration Council of Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has promised the organisation of new elections, while saying the government of Myanmar is ready to work with any special envoy appointed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Delta variant of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which was first detected in India, has continued to spread in Southeast Asian nations, with Indonesia recording the highest rate of infection.

Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has skyrocketed by 85 times since the two sides established their dialogue relations 30 years ago.

Experts from Canada and ASEAN member countries as well as leaders of businesses of both sides gathered at an online conference on July 29 by York University's Centre for Asian Studies to discuss the Canada-ASEAN connectivity, especially in business and education.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) has signed an agreement with Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Limited (DIBPL) to support trade in Pakistan.

The government of Laos has instructed the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to coordinate with localities nationwide to prepare for the reopening of its tourism under “new normal” conditions.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Jul 28 ordered his government to open the coronavirus vaccination campaign for anyone who wants a shot as his country scrambles to protect the population from more transmissible variants.

(CPV) - Despite a weakening economic growth forecast for the Pacific, recent progress in vaccination rollouts and stronger public health measures are providing optimism for the safe reopening of borders in the near term, according to the latest issue of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM) launched on July 29th 2021.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD50 million equity investment in PAG Growth II L.P. (PAG Growth II, the fund), a private equity fund managed by investment firm PAG, to promote innovation and provide growth capital for businesses in key economic sectors in Asia and the Pacific, predominantly in the People’s Republic of China.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin on July 26 and 27 visited the Southeast Asian nation and held talks with his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen, according to a joint announcement issued after the talks.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD400 million policy-based loan to support the Philippine government’s efforts to expand youth employment and skills programs to help young Filipinos find quality jobs.

ASEAN countries have recently held a policy dialogue on strengthening women’s entrepreneurship in agriculture.

Singapore's economy is on track to recover from the worst recession in its history caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, but potential risks still exist.

Thailand’s exports have risen to the highest level in 11 years because of an increase in global demand, according to the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.

(CPV) - The Philippine government held successful biddings for civil works contracts for a combined 40.5 kilometers (km) of viaduct structures for the South Commuter Railway Project, a major flagship project the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is preparing for funding support for consideration by its Board of Directors in the fourth quarter of this year.

A 6.7-magnitude quake struck off the main island of Luzon of the Philippines on July 24 morning, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Australia have approved an additional USD2.39 million in technical assistance support to continue public sector management reforms in the Pacific as it recovers from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) have raised their full-year forecast for overall inflation to between 1 percent and 2 percent in 2021, up from the previous prediction of 0.5 percent-1.5 percent.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan of USD165 million for the Government of Nepal on July 22nd 2021 to purchase safe and effective vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

(CPV) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa today called for countries in Asia and the Pacific to take bold action to address climate change while ensuring fair and equitable economic growth amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a coordinator for ASEAN-Japan relations, organised a virtual high-level roundtable themed “ASEAN-Japan: Reviewing the journey travelled, toward the 50th anniversary of dialogue partnership” on July 21.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced its commitment to align its operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is projecting 7.2% economic growth for developing Asia this year, compared with its 7.3% forecast in April, as renewed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks slow the recovery in some economies in the region. The growth outlook for 2022 is upgraded to 5.4% from 5.3%.

(CPV) - A six-year, pioneering regional technical assistance initiative has boosted the capacity of health systems in Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), and Viet Nam to respond to climate-induced health threats amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on July 19th 2021.

The international community has continuously called on parties concerned to follow international practices and rules, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) amid the complicated developments in the East Sea.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)’s solidarity play an important role in resolving sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea (which is called East Sea by Vietnam), according to an article published by Theinsnews.com on July 11.