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Asean Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

Thai juice giant Malee acquires Viet beverage firm for ASEAN expansion
Thailand’s Malee Group PCL, known for its range of fruit juices and canned fruit, has acquired Vietnam beverage firm Long Quan Safe Food Joint Stock Company (LQSF) for 330m baht (about US$10.5m) to drive South East Asian production and export sales.
— Food Navigator

ASEAN e-commerce forecasted to grow 32% to almost US$90b by 2025
Credit Suisse reported a forecast of 32% CAGR increase in ASEAN e-commerce spending, rising to almost US$90b by 2025.
— Singapore Business Review

Indonesian and M’sian troops can enter Philippines to catch terrorists
President Duterte said Indonesian and Malaysian troops can enter the Philippines in pursuit of terrorists.
— The Star Online

Top Glove aims to join Fortune 500 by 2040
Top Glove, the world’s largest rubber glove maker by capacity, aims to become a Fortune 500 company by 2040 by pursuing a bigger share of the international glove market.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Inside Asia’s bitcoin economy
On Jan. 6, a leaked photograph of an official notice from China’s internet finance regulator began to circulate on Twitter.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Japan, Korea, Thailand oust China as Vietnamese consumers’ favorite foreign brands
Vietnamese consumers have shown a decreasing interest in and have purchased fewer locally made products over the last year, while Japanese, South Korean and Thai manufacturers have begun to replace Chinese counterparts as the preferred foreign brands for Vietnam.
— Tuoi Tre

Top Five Foreign Investors in Indonesia, Singapore the Largest
Singapore has became the largest foreign investor in Indonesia with USD8.4 billion.
— Netral News

Philippines extends losses; Thailand posts best month in 18 months
Philippine shares extended losses to a second session on Wednesday, pulling further away from an all-time high hit earlier this week, while Thailand ended steady, marking its best month in 1-1/2 years.
— The Star Online

Cambodia and Vietnam Complete 80% Border Demarcation
Cambodia and Vietnam recently agreed to complete a full-scale border demarcation in Cambodia’s Prey Veng and Vietnam’s Long An, Tây Ninh borders.
— Fresh News

Does Sri Lanka’s ‘Look East’ Strategy to Court ASEAN Make Sense?
What is driving Sri Lanka’s latest outreach to ASEAN member states?
— The Diplomat

Southeast Asia is a ‘hotspot’ for antibiotic abuse
Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food is rife in Southeast Asia, a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official said on Wednesday, warning of serious risks for people and animals as bacterial infections become more resistant to treatment.
— New York Post 

Japan’s Enduring Value to Southeast Asia
With China’s rapid rise over the past few decades, Japan is no longer the leading economic power in Asia. Even worse for Japan, China’s new economic clout has allowed it to expand its political influence across the region. But, rather than sitting idle, Japan has boosted its efforts to cultivate friendly relationships with countries throughout Asia.
— Foreign Policy Research Institute 

Does Sri Lanka’s ‘Look East’ Strategy to Court ASEAN Make Sense?
Two Southeast Asian leaders, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, visited Sri Lanka during the week ending January 26.
— The Diplomat

Online lenders join gold rush into SE Asia
Chinese online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending companies have been rushing into Southeast Asian countries in recent months to cash in on untapped and lightly regulated markets that feature huge potential, as growth in the domestic market slows amid tightening regulations.
— Global Times 

ASEAN e-commerce forecasted to grow 32% to almost US$90b by 2025
But it may cause disruptions in ASEAN economy.
Credit Suisse reported a forecast of 32% CAGR increase in ASEAN e-commerce spending, rising to almost US$90b by 2025.
— Singapore Business Review 

India-Asean trade on the rise
The trade relations between India and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) comprising of Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam have seen an upsurge since the last decade.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer 

Feature: Chinese firm “taps” into natural rubber in Southeast Asia
Ramli Amin, a 27-year-old local of the eastern Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah, gets up at 3:30 a.m. in the morning. When he rides a motorbike to his lot several km away from the dormitory, it is just on time for rubber tapping.
— Xinhua Net 

Southeast Asia’s Top Drugmaker Eyes Sri Lanka, Mideast Expansion
PT Kalbe Farma, whose antacid drug Promag is a household name in Indonesia, is seeking a partner in Sri Lanka and eyeing the Middle East as a new market for its nutritional products.
— Bloomberg 

Can marketing solve Asia’s plastic pollution problem?
Marketers are usually blamed for driving overconsumption and persuading people to buy stuff they don’t need. But their creativity could hold the key to solving Asia’s plastic pollution crisis, experts said at a recent event in Singapore.
— Eco-Business 

Cambodia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

Beijing arms up Cambodia’s Hun Sen as West threatens sanctions
China will provide military vehicles to Cambodia, Phnom Penh confirmed this week, as the two nations shore up military ties ahead of a joint exercise in March.
— Asia Times

Massive solar farm planned by US firm
US-based solar energy developer Omni Navitas announced a plan to set up a $500 million, 150-megawatt solar energy farm in Cambodia, which CEO Jim McAuliffe said would make it the largest solar farm in Southeast Asia by capacity.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Ministry has big plans for Cambodia’s cashews
Cambodia and Vietnam signed an agreement earlier this month to greatly expand Cambodia’s cashew exports by 2028, but the proposed export level would require several hundred thousand hectares of additional land and there is no concrete plan yet to meet the target.
— The Phnom Penh Post

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Indonesia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

Jokowi Dissatisfied with Indonesia`s Underperforming Exports
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) admitted his dissatisfaction towards the performance of Indonesia`s exports.
— Tempo

Indonesia’s Telkom invests in Hungary-based mobile payments company
Indonesia’s state-owned telecommunications company on Wednesday said it has agreed to buy a 30.4% stake in a Hungary-based mobile payment service provider.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Jokowi calls for closer inspection of imported goods for e-commerce platforms
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called for closer inspection of imported goods that are rampantly sold through e-commerce platforms, particularly on online marketplaces.
— The Jakarta Post

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Lao PDR Morning News

Compiled by Apurva Saini    @amyapurva

US slaps sanctions on Laos Golden Triangle ‘casino’ in bid to break up narco-empire
The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a gambling empire hacked from the Laotian jungle which it said was involved in drug, human and wildlife trafficking and child prostitution.
— Channel News Asia

Govt resolves illegal import of thousands of vehicles
The government last year documented and processed the paperwork for 11,030 vehicles and motorbikes that had been imported unlawfully, according to an official report.
As much as 177.7 billion kip was generated from tariffs, taxes and fines levied on people who failed to follow the proper procedures.
— Vientiane Times

Mekong River Commission Launches Website for Its 3rd Summit
The Mekong River Commission launched its official website (https://mrcsummit.org/) for the 3rd Summit and International Conference on Jan 26 and called for contribution and participation to the events.
— Laos News Agency

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Malaysia Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

Mahathir 2.0 and the new Malay dilemma
The end of Mahathir Mohamad’s reign as prime minister in 2003 was quite simply a watershed moment for Malaysia.
— Asia Times

Axiata, Maxis, Digi pay RM118.4m for spectrum
Maxis Bhd, Axiata Group Bhd and Digi.Com Bhd have received a reissuance of the existing spectrum assignment in various bandwidths from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
— The Star Online

Petrol prices up two sen per litre
Petrol prices will be up by two sen per litre from midnight tonight while the price of diesel will go up by three sen.
— The Edge Market

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar Morning News

Compiled by Apurva Saini    @amyapurva

Reuters reporters arrested in Myanmar due to appear in court
Two Reuters journalists accused of violating Myanmar’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act are due in court on Thursday (Feb 1) as the prosecution presents more witnesses, while a defence lawyer has said the judge will rule on a bail request.
— The Straits Times

Myanmar bets on huge LNG projects to meet power needs
The government has finally revealed how it plans to meet Myanmar’s growing electricity needs, giving the green light to private investors in four gas-fired projects.Minister for Electricity and Energy U Win Khaing yesterday oversaw the issuing of a “notice to proceed” to investors in the four projects at a ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw, the ministry announced on its Facebook page this morning.
— Frontier Myanmar

New self-assessment system for car imports to apply from 2018 onwards
Customs will practice a new car importing system under which import valuations for cars will change this year. As such, car importers should ensure they are clear about the new system, said U Soe Tun, chair of Myanmar Automobile Manufacturers and Distributors Association (MAMDA).
— Myanmar Times

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Philippines Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat    @leakhenakhat

Philippines suffers PHP220bn annual loss from child under-nutrition: UNICEF report
Widespread child under-nutrition causes the Philippines an annual loss of PHP220bn, according to a new UNICEF report.
— Food Navigator-Asia

No checks, no balances in the Philippines
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is gradually tightening the noose on his sundry critics, in moves critics see as textbook vindictive politics. Buoyed by historic-high approval ratings, the Filipino strongman is chipping away at democratic institutions with force and speed.
— Asia Times

Massive infra projects start rolling this year – DOF
The Duterte administration’s massive infrastructure program is expected to be in full swing this year following the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).
— Philstar 

See here for more of today’s Philippines Morning News

Singapore Morning News

Compiled by Leakhena Khat   @leakhenakhat

Singapore’s Whole-of-Government approach to strengthen IT governance within the public sector
The Second Report of the Public Accounts Committee of Singapore was presented to Parliament yesterday. The Committee considered the Report of the Auditor-General for the financial year 2016/17. One of the common themes in the report was certain weaknesses in IT controls across public sector agencies.
— OpenGov

Owners of unregistered or non-compliant e-bikes to face fines, jail terms from Feb 1
E-bike owners who have not registered their vehicles or continue to use non-compliant bikes could face hefty fines and jail sentences from Thursday (Feb 1), when new regulations kick in.
— Today Online 

NTU scientists invent editable fabric-like power source for use in wearable electronic devices
When the editable supercapacitor was paired with a sensor and placed on the human elbow, it performed better than existing stretchable supercapacitors, providing a stable stream of signals even when the arm was swinging.
— OpenGov

See here for more of today’s Singapore Morning News

Thailand Morning News

Compiled by John Le Fevre    @photo_journ

Thai Dec factory output rises 2.35 pct y/y, below forecast
Thailand’s annual industrial output rose for a second straight month in December, helped by higher production of rubber, cars and car engines and petroleum,
but missed expectations.
— Reuters

2017’s MPI grows by 1.58% with rubber, automobiles as major performers: OIE
Thailand’s Manufacturing Production Index in 2017 showed 1.58 percent growth from a previous year with rubber products, automobiles, automobile engines, vegetable oil, and petroleum being major performers.
— NNT

DPM Wisanu assures election to be held next February unless….
Deputy Prime Minister Wisanu Krea-ngarm reiterated today (Wednesday) that the election roadmap would be in February next year unless there is an unpredictable event when the Constitutional Court is asked to interpret certain provisions of the Senate or MP election laws.
— Thai PBS

See here for more of today’s Thailand Morning News

Vietnam Morning News

Compiled by Sreypov Men    @MenSreypov

Shipping will make Viet Nam a ’tiger’
As Viet Nam’s maritime industry grows, it will have a profound impact on the economy, tourism and trading and ultimately boost economic growth.
— Bizhub

Fight against petrol smuggling gains speed in 2018
The National Steering Committee for combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeits has said it will step up inspections and fight against petrol and oil smuggling and trade fraud in 2018.
— VietnamPlus

Urgent measures implemented towards removal of EU yellow card
In addition to the outstanding obtained results in 2017, the Vietnamese fisheries sector faced many difficulties in exports, particularly the European Commission (EC)’s issuance of a “yellow card” which warned Vietnam for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
— Nhan Dan Online

See here for more of today’s Vietnam Morning News

Asean Morning News is the most comprehensive selection of reports on what you need to know from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. All articles are hand curated by the team at AEC News Today. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

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