On 4 March 2019, Indonesia and Australia signed the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). Indonesia, which is expected to be the world’s fifth-largest economy by 2030, was Australia’s 13th largest trading partner in 2018. The...
Batam island plans to develop two special economic zones (SEZs), on top of its free trade zone (FTZ) status. The proposed zones may be approved as early as June this year, contingent on Indonesia’s election results in April. The two proposed enclaves under the SEZ are...
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has announced the formation of Economic Action Council (EAC) to tackle the gripping economic issues the country is facing. Led by the prime minister himself, the EAC comprises of 16 members from the cabinet, public...
The competitiveness of the local copper industry is being enhanced with the creation of an ecological industrial zone in Leyte province. Palafox Associates has already started crafting the master plan for the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone (LEIZ) right after it won...
The European Parliament approved the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) and EU Singapore Investment Protection Agreement (EUSIPA) in a vote on 13 February 2019 in Strasbourg, France. The EUSFTA and EUSIPA are the first trade and investment agreements concluded...
In its 2019 budget, the Singapore government announced several initiatives to continue building enterprise capabilities. It is allocating an additional SGD 100 million (USD 74 million) for the SME CoInvestment Fund III, to continue supporting firms in their efforts to...
In its role as the ASEAN chair for 2019, Thailand is pushing for a cohesive regional industrial 4.0 development plan under the main theme of “advancing partnership for sustainability”. Speaking at a Special Session on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) held in...
Recruitment demand in Vietnam is set to increase as company relocations from China to Vietnam rise. This particularly concerns demand for senior positions in real estate and consumer electronics according to a new report by Navigos Group, the recruitment company...
Indonesia and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 16 December 2018. The agreement was reached between Indonesia and the EFTA countries – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland – after...
Malaysia is expected to experience slower growth in 2019, in anticipation of global trade uncertainties which would affect the trade flows to the region. While the government is more optimistic with 4.9% of GDP forecasted, consensus GDP growth forecast from Bloomberg...
The Philippine House of Representatives has approved House Bill No. 8764 on its final reading, which attempts to amend the Republic Act No. 7042, referred to as the Foreign Investments Act of 1991. The bill intends to bring in more Foreign Direct Investments (FDI),...
According to a report in the Straits Times, dated 7 January, 2019, the Economic Development Board of Singapore has sorted its staff into three ‘streams’ to help build deeper relationships with companies, better attract promising businesses and generate...
