ASEAN and the world

Starting from August 11, travellers entering Singapore who are serving their stay-home notice (SHN) outside of dedicated facilities will have to wear an electronic monitoring device throughout the 14 days.

The Indonesian government has announced that it had revised a 2017 law that will give oil and gas investors more flexibility when choosing their contract options for exploration, according to Reuters.

A joint venture between the Singaporean-based Sakae Holdings and SSF Investment limited company has submitted a document offering help in the form of medical equipment and necessities to the central city of Da Nang in its COVID-19 combat.

Indonesia has expressed concern over escalating tensions in the East Sea and urged China to obey international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to settle disputes.

The government is reviewing the continuation of the free trade agreement (FTA) with ASEAN in the wake of the trading bloc’s reluctance to address India’s concerns over what it believes are asymmetries in the trade pact during the last ten years. According to Times of India, the country’s main grouse is the rising trade deficit with the 10–country bloc.

The first protocol to amend the ASEAN-Japan Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) officially took into effect in Japan and the five ASEAN member states of Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam on August 1.

The Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance announced on July 31 that it will provide 5.15 million USD for six developing nations, including Vietnam, to support projects ranging from establishing green growth and digital infrastructure to an improved COVID-19 response.

The European Union (EU) – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) - the most comprehensive trade agreement the EU has signed with a developing country, will take effect from August 1, a press release of the European Commission (EC) stressed.

(CPV) - COVID-19 shutdown measures have had economic impacts far beyond city boundaries as urban economies account for 80 per cent of global GDP. The response should tackle the inequalities and long-term development deficits that have been exposed and made marginalized groups more vulnerable.

(CPV) - Lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale, according to a new report launched today by UNICEF and Pure Earth.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD20 million loan to help the Government of Palau prepare for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and respond to its impact on the economy.

(CPV) - An additional 6.7 million children under the age of five could suffer from wasting – and therefore become dangerously undernourished – in 2020 as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF warned at the end of July.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD20 million grant to help the Government of Samoa respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Economic ministers in ASEAN member states and Japan approved the ASEAN - Japan Economic Resilience Action Plan at a virtual meeting chaired by Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh on July 29th, as part of the efforts to promote solidarity between the two sides in combating COVID-19.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) will collaborate to create common standards so as to promote safe air travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

(CPV) - An estimated 5.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including over 3 million children, due to the combined devastating impact of floods, the locust invasion and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Thai Rice Exporters Association on July 22nd predicted that the country’s 2020 rice exports will drop to 6.5 million tonnes, the lowest volume in two decades, owing to drought and a strong baht currency.

(CPV) - More than 15 million cases of acute malnutrition are expected in children under the age of five in West and Central Africa in 2020 – one-third of cases in the most severe form – if adequate measures are not urgently put in place, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on July 17th 2020.

Malaysia stands firm on its position that the East Sea issue must be managed in a peaceful and rational manner through dialogue and consultation.

Fifteen out of more than 80 Japanese enterprises received support from the government to move factories to Vietnam, reported by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) private sector operations reached USD3 billion in 2019, lifting the overall portfolio by 11% to USD13.6 billion, according to its latest Private Sector Operations in 2019 - Report on Development Effectiveness.

Foreign visitors still stranded in Thailand by the COVID-19 pandemic will be allowed to apply for an extended short stay after their visas expire on July 31, the Thai Immigration Bureau chief said on July 17th.

COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,752 within one day to 84,882, with the death toll adding by 59 to 4,016, a local health official said.

Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha chaired the 3rd conference of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) on July 17th, in the form of a videoconference.

(CPV) - The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned on July 17th 2020 of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishamuddin Hussein on July 16 affirmed his country’s consistent position that parties should work together to ensure peace, security and stability in the East Sea (South China Sea).

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has called all parties to respect international laws in response to the recent escalating tensions in the East Sea.

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo affirmed on July 13 that the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam) are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.

Two resolutions were recently introduced by subcommittee leaders of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs to mark the 25th anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties (July 12th).

(CPV) - Despite some progress in certain regions of the world, global experience continues to show that the coronavirus crisis is a long way from being eliminated. New cases are soaring in many countries, perhaps most notably in the United States.