The demand for electricity in Vietnam has increased significantly and the energy industry has grown rapidly over the last decade, a characteristics shared by many countries in Asia. The Diplomat Hanoi exhort to focus on renewable energy to meet the growing demand for energy, increase investments and tackle the problem of pollution

Indonesia is in talks with the U.S. government over the possible relocation of American companies operating in China to the archipelago, as businesses and governments worldwide look at ways to diversify production in response to supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus.

Indonesia has been considered as the de facto leader of the ASEAN based on historical assumptions; however, the current COVID-19 pandemic has exposed Indonesia’s weakness regarding its role as a regional leader. On the other hand, Vietnam has been making great strides in projecting itself as an effective leader, particularly with its critical and long-standing engagements against and with China and its proactive governance in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economic growth in the ASEAN region could rebound to an average 8% in 2021 on the back of recovery in Chinese import demand and global trade, after falling into recession in the first half of 2020, a report suggested on Monday. The report, written by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) suggested that most South-east Asian economies will fall into recession in the first half of 2020 before recording a 1.9% contraction for the full year.

Southeast Asia is resisting the acrimonious US-China blame game over Covid-19, preferring to maintain close links with both powerful nations without taking sides. But China, even while serving as the origin of the pandemic that has devastated the region’s economies, appears to enjoy a better image among its hearts and minds.

Britain has applied to become a dialogue partner of the ASEAN as it seeks to boost post-Brexit ties in the region. “By becoming one of ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, we can strengthen our ability to cooperate across the Indo-Pacific region, as a force for good, on everything from climate change to regional stability” British foreign minister Dominic Raab said.

Myanmar is preparing to hold a general election in late 2020, the nation’s election agency said, confirming expectations of a vote before the end of the year. That will be a decisive step for Myanmar and for the the country's current leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Economic ministers from the 10 member states of ASEAN Thursday agreed on several measures to connect supply chains and enhance economic cooperation within the bloc amid changing circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The countries of Southeast Asia have the rare chance to leverage Beijing’s language of interdependence in addressing pressing issues, such as the Belt and Road and South China Sea.

Facebook's management has decided to bet on Southeast Asia with a big investment in the Indonesian ride-hailing company Gojek, comparable to Uber in the West. The U.S. group did not reveal the amount of the investment, but said it will focus on Gopay, the digital payments component of the Indonesian start-up.

Record di depositi a Singapore. Singapore ha registrato una crescita significativa nei depositi di capitali durante il mese di aprile. Sembra infatti che gli investitori stiano puntando la città-Stato per la sua stabilità, dato il contesto di incertezza e volatilità del mercato globale. Ad aprile, dunque, i depositi di capitali provenienti dall'estero sono cresciuti del 44% fino a raggiungere la cifra record di 62 miliardi di dollari.

Singapore verso una progressiva riapertura dopo due mesi di lockdown. Le autorità singaporiane stanno permettendo a scuole e attività economiche di ripartire dopo mesi di difficili restrizioni ma chiedono, ove possibile, di prolungare lo smart working. Il Financial Times ricorda che Singapore sta affrontando la peggiore crisi economica dal 1965 e che questo allentamento dell’isolamento potrà dare una spinta all’economia.

Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry members who are operating in Asia are performing “better than expected” despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Dubai Chamber said in a new report. In the report, Dubai Chamber noted that trade activity was particularly strong in parts of south-east and east Asia.

Chinese high-tech groups such as ByteDance and Alibaba are increasing their presence in Singapore and are competing with their American rivals for dominance in south-east Asia. Over the past 18-24 months, the ASEAN area has been one of the main targets for Chinese companies and now the city-state has become a "battlefield" between China and the US.

A Singapore si prepara una nuova riapertura prima del previsto. Le autorità a Singapore hanno cominciato a definire alcuni parametri di riferimento che il Paese dovrà seguire per avviare la nuova fase di riapertura delle attività economiche. Recentemente infatti il Paese ha subito una terza ondata di contagi, la più sostanziosa, che però il governo ha gestito efficacemente. Se i livelli di trasmissione del virus rimarranno bassi nei prossimi giorni, le autorità stanno pensando di consentire gradualmente la ripresa delle attività nei bar e ristoranti prima della fine di giugno

La Cina consentirà voli da Singapore, dall'Italia e da altri sei Paesi. Secondo quanto riportano i media governativi cinesi, il governo è pronto ad allentare i controlli alle frontiere per Singapore e per altri sei Paesi, permettendo a talune categorie di persone di viaggiare in alcune città. I Paesi che hanno ricevuto il via libera sono Singapore, Italia, Giappone, Gran Bretagna, Germania, Francia e Svizzera.

Only a few days after the end of the lockdown, FPT, a leading group in the Vietnamese technology industry, began the construction of the country's largest data center in Ho Chi Minh City. The company is confident that these investments will support Vietnam's economic development, directly proportional to the increasing demand for data.

In January 2021 four new faces will emerge from the thirteenth five-year Communist Party congress as those who will govern the 96 million inhabitants country. Although there have been exceptions over the last years, next year Vietnam's leadership will almost certainly return to be hold by four State offices.

The National Assembly of Vietnam is scheduled to hold its long-awaited final vote on the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union on Thursday. The agreement will be able to contribute to the economic recovery in the post-emergency period, as well as pushing the country towards significant reforms in terms of labour and the environment.

Also the Vietnamese car sector has suffered the heavy consequences of the pandemic. Furthermore, many companies in the country are in great difficulty due to unfavourable tax policies. It is therefore necessary for the Vietnamese government to think about more flexible policies to support its automotive industry at this delicate time.