ASEAN and the world

(CPV) - A UNICEF shipment of respiratory masks and protective suits for health workers landed in Shanghai, China, atthe end of January to support China’s response to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health on January 23rd confirmed the first case of a new strain of coronavirus that has killed 17 and infected over 570 people in China.

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) plans to screen cave bats amid health concerns that the creatures might be linked to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China.

Southeast Asian nations have taken precautionary measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus as the outbreak is worsening in China and elsewhere.

On the last day of the year, participants of the Takanakuy festival in Peru will scuffle with each other to resolve all "hatred" in the old year and welcome a happy New Year with no more arguments.

The Thai government is considering whether to impose a ban on personal car use in affected areas to cope with high levels of hazardous ultra-fine PM2.5 dust particles in the air if levels exceed 100 microgrammes per cubic metre, twice the safety level.

Indonesia is preparing for meetings of G-20 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations which will be held in the country in 2023.

(CPV) - The world’s 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make up 60 percent of the planet’s population, reveals a new report from Oxfam on January 20th, 2020 ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Taiwanese (Chinese) state-owned oil refiner CPC Corp. has pledged to invest 22 billion USD in the development of the Balongan petrochemical refinery, said Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Indonesia sold 1.03 million cars in 2019, a drop of 10.8 percent year on year from 1.15 million units the previous year, due to the weak demand and other factors, according to the car manufacturer association (Gaikindo).

The International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) – an independent agency under the US government – plans to invest 15 billion USD in Indonesia, according to the Southeast Asian country’s Coordating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.

Vietnam presided over a United Nations Security Council session on January 13th, during which the organisation adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) in Yemen and listened to a report on activities of the UN mission overseeing the peace agreement in Colombia.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on January 13th invited nations and businesses around the world to invest in the country’s soon-to-be-built administrative hub.

(CPV) - ADB and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Pakistan signed an agreement today to expand support for the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), further strengthening financing for natural disaster risk reduction and preparedness in the country.

Thailand has recorded the first patient infected with new Corona virus – a 61-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan city, local media reported.

Three prioritised orientations in the economic pillar of ASEAN in 2020 was revealed during the first meeting of ASEAN Senior Economic Officials in 2020 (SEOM 1/51), which is underway in Hanoi from January 12th-14th.

Laos and China have agreed to facilitate the direct exchange of the Lao kip (LAK) and the Chinese yuan (CNY) instead of having to making conversions through other currencies previously.

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has called on Singaporean investors to invest in a number of sectors in the country's new capital city in East Kalimantan Province.

Thailand expects a windfall from the Indian tourist market if travellers stay away from the Middle East and turn eastward instead. Executive Director of the ASEAN, South Asia, and South Pacific Markets under the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said the ongoing Iran-US conflict could affect Indian travellers' confidence, resulting in their shunning of Dubai for Thailand to avoid the Middle East

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has stressed that the country’s orientations and foreign policy priorities in the next five year should focus on economic diplomacy.

Governor of the Bank Indonesia Perry Warjiyo has said foreign capital flow to the country totalled 16.07 billion USD in 2019 despite global economic uncertainties.

Cambodia exported over 248,100 tonnes of rice to China last year, up 46 percent year-on-year, said the Cambodian General Directorate of Agriculture on January 3rd.

Thailand and Bangladesh will kick off talks to establish a free trade agreement (FTA) during their 5th Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting next week.

Ministries and agencies of the Indonesian Government have continually held meetings over the last few days following China’s entry into the Southeast Asian country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Malaysian government will ensure the digitalisation of the economy will not leave anyone out of the mainstream of development, Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng said at a tech conference on December 30th.

Myanmar’s border trade with neighbouring countries reached about 2.4 billion USD as of December 20th in present fiscal year 2019-2020 which started from October 1st.

(CPV) - Kacific Broadband Satellites International Limited (Kacific) has launched the Kacific1 satellite to expand high-speed broadband internet access across Asia and the Pacific.

(CPV) - ADB will invest over USD1 billion worth of energy projects in the Pacific from 2019 to 2021 to increase renewable energy generation and improve access to affordable and sustainable electricity in the subregion.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended his stance on letting the free market determine prices of rice, saying that appeal for the government’s intervention in rice prices is unreasonable.

Strong typhoons which swept the Americas and Asia, earthquakes in Albania and China, and forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia are terrible natural disasters that humans faced in 2019.