ASEAN and the world

(CPV) - Aging populations could be a boon to economies in the Asia and Pacific region if governments adopt technology policies that improve elderly people’s health, extend skills and working lives, and facilitate job matching, according to a new report from ADB.

Thailand’s Ministry of Industry plans to launch a digital platform and big data system to facilitate the industrial sector and smooth the government’s ease of doing business next year.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD27.4 million financing package to provide safe and reliable water supply and sanitation services to more than 64,000 people living in a mountainous rural area of the Kyrgyz Republic.

A ceremony to welcome the upcoming ASEAN-Republic of Korea (RoK) Commemorative Summit was held in the southeastern port city of Busan on November 10th, luring the participation of around 10,000 people.

(CPV) - ADB and KfW, the German state-owned development bank, agreed on November 8th 2019 to expand their existing cofinancing partnership with an additional USD2 billion over the next 4 years in order to support continued economic development in the Asia and Pacific region.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD6 million grant to the Government of Tuvalu to help fund expanded access to modern energy services; improve the quality, reliability, and climate resilience of the energy sector, and reduce the country’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels for power generation, while making the cost of power generation more affordable.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD50 million policy-based loan to help support the Government of Nepal’s reforms to improve food safety measures, enhance agricultural trade standards, and promote agricultural commercialization in the country.

The US Department of Justice has reached a deal with Malaysian financier Jho Low to retake almost 1 billion USD in funds Low and his family had misappropriated from Malaysian investment fund 1MDB.

Indian daily Times of India on November 1st ran an article by Baladas Ghoshal, a scholar from the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies of India, that held that the encroachment of Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) by China’s Haiyang Dizhi 8 vessel clearly impinged on Vietnam’s territorial integrity and economic security.

(CPV) - On November 2nd 2019 Germany will formally accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). For Germany this is an important step in strengthening our relations with ASEAN, an increasingly important community with growing regional and universal significance.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that Southeast Asia could become a net importer of fossil fuels in the next few years, raising the financial burden on governments and increasing carbon emissions in the region.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has affirmed that the government led by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance is working to re-energise the economy, with the road to recovery now visible.

(CPV) - On October 30th 2019, ADB and the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) signed three loan agreements worth $140 million that will help develop the country’s agriculture, education, and public finance management.

Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce has announced that it will adopt seven measures to soften the impact of the US suspension of trade benefits for the Southeast Asian country.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million policy-based loan to support Indonesia’s fiscal and public expenditure management reforms and improve the quality of government spending on health, education, social protection, and infrastructure.

Cambodia’s real estate sector experienced strong growth in the first half of the year, with robust market absorption for landed housing and condominiums.

(CPV) - Ensuring access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food, enabled by modern technologies and creative policies, is essential to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in Asia-Pacific, participants heard at the Rural Development and Food Security (RDFS) Forum 2019 on October 28th 2019.

(CPV) - ADB has endorsed a new 5-year country partnership strategy (CPS) that lays out the institution’s support for Cambodia’s goal of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on October 25th chaired a meeting of the national committee responsible for organising the 35thASEAN Summit that the country will host in early November.

The US has suspended duty-free treatment of certain Thai products amid the two countries’ tension on Thailand’s ban of three toxic agricultural chemicals.

Officials and scholars from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on October 25th called for greater cooperation between the two sides in spurring ongoing efforts for a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Thailand will build a high-speed rail linking the country’s three airports, the spine of an infrastructure scheme set to transform the southern coast into a tech hub.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo was officially sworn in on October 20 for his second and final five-year term with a pledge to take bolder actions in infrastructure development.

(CPV) - With support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), work has begun to transform the Aiwo Boat Harbor area, which will help make it Nauru’s first international and cargo terminal, improving the country’s maritime trade and connectivity.

The international community has confirmed the importance of universal health coverage (UHC) financing in developing countries. At the G20 in Osaka in June 2019, leaders affirmed the G20 Shared Understanding on the Importance of UHC Financing in Developing Countries.

The Philippines and India signed four agreements, including those on maritime domain and security, on October 18th during a visit to the Philippines by Indian President Ram Nath Kovin.

Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce has come up with four strategies to boost exports in 2020, including plans to expand existing major markets such as ASEAN, the European Union, the US, Japan, and China.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on October 18th sentenced exile leader of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Sam Rainsy to one year and eight months in prison.

(CPV) - ADB will invest THB3 billion (USD98.7 million) in Energy Absolute’s maiden green bond issuance, proceeds from which will help support the long-term financing of the company’s 260-megawatt (MW) Hanuman wind farm in Thailand.

Cambodia’s construction attracted a total investment of 6.49 billion USD in the first nine months of 2019, up 34.7 percent from 4.82 billion USD over the same period last year, said the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC).