The Chinese economy is struggling to get its growth back to its pre-pandemic average of above 6 per cent despite piling government and consumer debt weighing down economic activity. China’s real property sector remains in crisis mode as several big players have turned insolvent over the past year, unable to pay maturing debts after the central government tightened the rules...

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has extended a helping hand to listed companies seeking to protect stock valuations and shareholder rights in the face of rocky appetite towards the Chinese economy. The regulator revised its rules on share repurchase deals for listed firms in December 2023 to give them greater leeway in cutting losses and protecting share values amid...

According to the Bank of Thailand, the El Niño phenomenon would cause economic shock to local farmers as it affects crop production. Although projections point to declining output due to the extreme weather conditions, the Thai government wants to intervene to soften the blow. In fact, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin hopes to cultivate Thailand’s agricultural sector towards becoming a global...

The world’s economy is currently driven by digital technology, and Malaysia is also positioning itself to become a key player in this space to attract foreign investors. Recently, Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding with China to simplify information sharing on cross-border trade. The digitized data-sharing platform facilitates trade, particularly for customs authorities of the two nations. Apart from that,...

The Philippines relies rather heavily on China for goods trade. China is the country’s largest trading partner, accounting for 20 per cent of its total foreign trade to overtake Japan in the last decade. China has also emerged as a preferred source of financing for public sector projects especially between 2016-2022 under the leadership of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The...

Indonesian President Joko Widodo set a clear goal and political will in the electric vehicles (EV) industry for the country to emerge as a regional economic power in manufacturing while boosting global sustainability initiatives. According to the World Economic Forum, Indonesia is home to an estimated 115 million two-wheel (2W) vehicles and 16 million four-wheel (4W) vehicles, 70 per cent...

Southeast Asia stands as a beacon of optimism while the global economy is in dire straits. In the face of high interest rates and China’s slowdown, which have depressed overall external demand, global growth has been relying heavily on the resilience of economies part of the ASEAN. Some, however, fear that the slowdown of major economies like the US and...

The emerging markets in Southeast Asia are steaming ahead with very good economic growth rates. I don’t think it’s a surprise with the ongoing vibrant growth environment, though it stands out more when the mature economies are sliding deeper and deeper into a very low growth reality. The ASEAN countries alone are not yet an economic superpower, but Asia is...

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said the Chinese economy remains on course towards “modernization” as it pledged to further open up to global markets while pursuing domestic policy reforms to sustain growth. The CPC held in July its third plenary session to chart economic strategies in the next five years, which revolved around the theme...

Southeast Asian economies face kinder but ever-challenging times ahead in their quest to retain their title as global growth leaders. There’s a Chinese proverb that says “The higher you grow, the deeper you bow.” In this case, to sustain the momentum, countries in the subregion have to weather elevated inflation (particularly for food), high interest rates, and weak external demand...