Asean morning news for November 23,

Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Myanmar, Cambodia lead Asean’s soaring minimum wage growth
Countries across Asean are experiencing rapid economic growth, and the associated improvements to the standard of living are conspicuous. Increasing trade means increasing wages — and wage growth is integral to the growth of regional economies.
— AEC News Today

Thailand to lead Asean with creativity, complementarities and continuity (video)
A briefing of foreign diplomats in Bangkok yesterday on Thailand’s coming year as chair of Asean was told the community needs to re-think its strategies and approaches if it is to remain relevant and central to the region.
— AEC News Today (video)

Trudeau’s trade pitch to Southeast Asian countries came late — very late
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went around Asia talking up the Canada brand and trying to convince people that more of Canada is good for Asia.
— CBC

Southeast Asia must guard against digital domination risks
Southeast Asia has this month taken a groundbreaking step in developing its booming digital economy with an agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on facilitating cross-border e-commerce transactions.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Critical thinking needed to upgrade skills
Earlier in September, Cisco and Oxford Economics analysed 433 occupations across 21 industries.
— The Asean Post

Association Of The Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Interested In Developing Cybersecurity Cooperation With Russia – Deputy Minister
The member states of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are motivated to develop interaction with Russia in cybersecurity, information technology (IT) and professional training in these areas as digital sphere is quickly growing in the region, the Russian Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Alexey Volin said.
— UrduPoint

Making Southeast Asian electricity grids smarter
Smart grids are set to take Southeast Asia by storm.
— The Asean Post

“Leading national ecosystems’ in halal: ASEAN, Australia and Pakistan get top spots in Global Islamic Economy report’s Top 10 Halal Food list
Malaysia, Brunei, Pakistan and Australia have all clinched top spots in the recent State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2018/19’s Top Ten Halal Food list.
— Foodnavigator-asia.com

PHL turning into China’s enabler in ASEAN, historian says
The Philippines is becoming China’s facilitator in the region for supposedly helping the Asian superpower’s influence to spread in Southeast Asia, a military historian said on Thursday.
— GMA News

Asia’s conglomerates underperform pure play in more than a decade: Bain & Company
Asian conglomerates are at a turning point.
— New Straits Times

Southeast Asians will regret giving up political rights for affluence
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations sees itself as a model of diversity, with coexisting cultures, religions and systems of government.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Re/insurers must overcome “growth bottlenecks” in ASEAN markets: Moody’s
Growth prospects for re/insurance in many of the major Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets are supported by strong socio-economical fundamentals, but the industry must find new ways to overcome common “growth bottlenecks”, according to a report from Moody’s Investors Service.
— Reinsurance News

Iflix enters into S$1.5 million agreement to run video content in cabs
The Asia Pacific region’s largest network of in-vehicle digital screens IDOOH International has announced a S$1.5 million agreement with subscription-based video on demand site iflix.
— Mumbrella Asia

What Asean must do to navigate these perilous times
Last year to a backdrop of resounding backlash worldwide against free trade and multinational institutions, Asean celebrated 50 years as a proponent of these ever-more endangered ideals.
— The Straits Times

ASEAN can stop Indo-Pacific from becoming US-China ‘theater’
A “cold war” between the United States and China is looking more and more inevitable, and the Indo-Pacific region could well turn into the main theater where the emerging contest between the two superpowers will be played out.
— The Jakarta Post

Cari: Why focus on IR4.0 when so much of Asean is pre-industrial on an industrial scale?
The Fourth Industrial Revolution or IR4.0 was a central theme in the World Economic Forum on Asean 2018 held in September.
— The Edge Markets

Southeast Asia steel billet buyers hold out on China’s return, prices fall further
Import prices for steel billet in Southeast Asia edged down again on Thursday November 22 amid lower offers and slow procurement activity, with some buyers staying away after China reappeared in the export market.
— Fastmarkets MB

Conference highlights ASEAN’s importance to Hong Kong
The two-day Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference, which ended on Tuesday in Hong Kong, drew the participation 70 speakers from the logistics and maritime sectors and 2000 industry professionals from 30 countries.
— Myanmar Times

When it comes to ICERD, neighbours Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei of same mind
Malaysia shares something with its neighbours Brunei and Myanmar, as well as North Korea when it comes to the hottest five-letter word of the month: ICERD.
— Yahoo News

Startup Investment in Southeast Asia Projected to Reach $70b by 2024: Study
Investment in startups in Southeast Asia is projected to rise to $70 billion by 2024, thanks to government and private sector support and years of solid economic growth in the region, consulting firm Bain and Company said in a report.
— Jakarta Globe

Mass Affluent Consumers Set to Become Southeast Asia’s New Growth Engine: BCG
The number of mass affluent consumers in Southeast Asia is projected to reach 136 million by 2030, replacing middle-income consumers as the region’s growth engine, global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group says in its latest report, released on Tuesday.
— Jakarta Globe

VN firms should export more to ASEAN: conference
Vietnamese firms should look to export more to ASEAN member countries to take advantage of the huge market and low tariffs, a conference heard in HCM City on November 22.
— Viet Nam News

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge tribunal: Will Chea and Samphan’s appeals bring the trials to an end?
Last week the Khmer Rouge tribunal handed down a historic verdict against two elderly leaders of the regime that claimed at least 1.7 million lives, legally declaring for the first time that genocide had occurred in Cambodia in the 1970s.
— ABC News

Officials, families honour stampede victims
City hall officials along with families of the victims who died in 2010 Water Festival stampede on Koh Pich bridge on Thursday held the ceremony to remember more than 300 dead.
— Khmer Times

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

Economy grows only 5.1 percent this year: BI deputy governor
Bank Indonesia deputy governor Dody Budi Waluyo announced on Wednesday that this year’s economic growth would likely be 5.1 percent, lower than the 2018 state budget estimate of 5.4 percent.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia plans to cut property taxes to stimulate economy
Indonesia plans to cut taxes on luxury properties and revise other tax rules in a bid to support the real estate industry and attract investment in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.
— Bangkok Post

Bali Plans to Impose USD $10 Levy on Every Foreign Tourist Arrival
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said this new levy should add around IDR 1 trillion (approx. USD $67 million) in additional local revenue as Bali is expected to be visited by some 7 million foreign tourists in full-year 2019.
— Indonesia Investments

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve

Online System Boosts Road Tax Revenue
The revenue earned from taxes has increased massively since the government introduced an online payment system.
— J & C

Quang Binh enhances border defence-security cooperation with Lao province
Delegations of the central border province of Quang Binh and Laos’ Khammouane province on November 22 held talks and inked a comprehensive friendship cooperation agreement between the two localities.
— Vietnam Plus

NA member asks for clearer development objectives
The government must decide whether it wants to encourage industries other than tourism in a certain area, and should not allow the growth of industries that do not sustain local people’s livelihoods.
— Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

Digital tax only on services, not on transactions
The recently announced digital tax will only apply on services offered online that requires a payment to the company, not on transactions made, said tax advisory firm Axcelasia Taxand Sdn Bhd.
— The Star Online

Dr M says agriculture can evolve with technology, despite limited government funds
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said technology will help revolutionise the agriculture sector even with limited government funding as Putrajaya has been forced to tighten its belt in the 2019 Budget.
— Malay Mail

Melaka exco member hands over 7 files about alleged corruption to AG and MACC
MELAKA: The Melaka Agriculture, Entrepreneur Development and Agro-Based committee chairman has handed over seven files about corruption allegedly committed by the previous state administration to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney General.
— The Star Online

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve

Human rights impact assessment in Myanmar: Facebook’s anodyne report
Facebook commissioned a human rights impact assessment into its presence in Myanmar by Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), which has recently released its report.
— Opiniojuris

Yangon-Mandalay railway upgrade breaks ground
Work on the first phase of the Yangon-Mandalay Railway Improvement Project has begun, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced.
— Myanmar Times

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu @stmarisewudolu

PHL improves ranking in WB/PwC in study on ease of paying taxes
THE PHILIPPINES placed 94th out of 190 economies on the ease of paying taxes, according to the World Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Paying Taxes 2019 report, after the country ranked 105th a year earlier.
— BusinessWorld Online

UN to provide US$500-M to PH sustainable dev’t, inclusive growth programs
The United Nations (UN) expects to mobilize USD506.63 million in funding to help the Philippines implement its priority programs on sustainable development and inclusive growth over the next five years.
— Manila Bulletin

Photojournalists remember Maguindanao massacre
Members of the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) holding an annual workshop in Dingalan, Aurora, light candles on Thursday to commemorate the 9th year of the Maguindanao Massacre.
— ABS-CBN News

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Mark Roy @electricnerve

PAP sets stage for Heng Swee Keat to be PM
Seventeen days after the People’s Action Party (PAP) was returned to power with 69.9 per cent of the vote in the Sept 11, 2015 General Election, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong chaired a press conference to announce his new Cabinet.
— The Straits Times

Singapore’s Q3 economic growth slows to 2.2%
Growth in the manufacturing sector slowed to 3.5% from 10.7% in Q2.
— Singapore Business Review

Singapore-US partnership to see wearable bio sensors boost hospital-level home care
A Singapore digital therapeutics company is teaming up with a top US hospital in an innovative plan to use data from wearable biosensors to help improve the level of care patients receive at home.
— AEC News Today

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre @photo_journ

Thailand to lead Asean with creativity, complementarities and continuity (video)
A briefing of foreign diplomats in Bangkok yesterday on Thailand’s coming year as chair of Asean was told the community needs to re-think its strategies and approaches if it is to remain relevant and central to the region.
— AEC News Today

Junta to spend $2bn on spy satellites: claim
The Thai junta is reported to be investing heavily in the US-based Theia Satellite Network, a web of 112 surveillance satellites carrying high-tech cameras, radar and infrared optics that will apparently be able to see through clouds and trees.
— Asean Economist

EC to investigate cash handout spree
The Election Commission (EC) will look into whether the government is trying to canvass for votes ahead of the general election through its 86.9-billion-baht splurge on low-income earners, the elderly and retirees.
— Bangkok Post

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men @MenSreypov

SMEs urged to participate in global value chains
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must enhance their competitiveness to participate in Industry 4.0 and inclusive global value chains in the context of rapid integration and technology advancements, experts have said.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam resolutely opposes China’s activities in Bombay Reef
Vietnam resolutely opposes China’s installation of a new structure in Bong Bay (Bombay) Reef in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago and demands China to immediately end the operation and not conduct similar actions, said the Foreign Ministry’s Vice Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Tra.
— vnanet.vn

See here for more of today’s Vietnam morning news

The Asean morning news roundup and its individual country morning news round-ups are the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of news reports from around the Asean Economic Community (AEC) published. We scour hundreds of local and international news and websites to find the things that you need to know to start your working week day.

We clearly identify the source of the story, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you. It’s all then packaged up in an easy to read format enabling you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original source, or keep on reading the headlines. AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.