Asean morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu         @stmarisewudolu

 

South China Sea: US stages 85 military exercises with regional allies in 2019, report says
The United States has held at least 85 joint military exercises with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region this year as it seeks to counter Beijing’s rise, particularly in the South China Sea, according to a Chinese think tank.
— South China Morning Post

How ASEAN can gain from South Korea relations — and Kim Jong Un
South Korea recently held a special two-day summit with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

China Closes a Stretch of the Mekong River for Rock Blasting
NEWS ASIAChina Closes a Stretch of the Mekong River for Rock BlastingPublished 15 seconds agoon December 16, 2019By CTN News
China has closed a 60-kilometre section of Mekong River to all types of boats indefinitely while rock blasting is undertaken.
— Chiang Rai Times

German government provides MRC €2 million more for Mekong support
The German government has provided an additional €2 million ($2.2 million) to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to enhance transnational water resource cooperation and support, and assist in efforts to monitor the transnational environmental impact of dams.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Vietnam ranks second in fintech investment in Southeast Asia
Venture capital funding pouring into Vietnamese fintech companies accounted for 36 percent of the total fintech investment in Southeast Asia.
— Vietnamplus

Asean seen to remain resilient in 2020
Growth in ASEAN economies is expected to remain resilient in 2020, buoyed by strong domestic demand, according to market intelligence firm IHS Markit.
— The Philippine Star

UN: Nearly 500 Million People in Asia-Pacific Still Going Hungry
A new report says nearly 500 million people in East Asia and Pacific Ocean countries suffer from hunger and poor nutrition.
— VOA

Sustainability investing takes off in Southeast Asia
Private equity and venture investors in Southeast Asia are betting on something new — sustainability.
— The Jakarta Post

Facebook and Bain Study: Success in SEA Digital Economy Hinges on Capturing the ‘Discovery Generation’
The fight for dominance in Southeast Asia’s (SEA) digital economy will be on the battlefields of Discovery – how well you’ll be seen, and how customers can be loyal to you.
— DNA

Asia Pacific can do more to protect health of people, communities
Synthetic drugs seem to be everywhere in the Asia Pacific these days.
— The Jakarta Post

Foreign diplomats briefed on Vietnam’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2020
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung has hosted a briefing on Vietnam’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2020 with the attendance of nearly 70 ambassadors, chargé d’affaires and representatives of the embassies of ASEAN countries and ASEAN’s development partners in Hanoi.
— Nhan Dan Online

Southeast Asian Environmental Activists Say Region Must do More
Southeast Asian environmental activists – including young counterparts to teenage activist and Time magazine person of the year Greta Thunberg – are concerned they are not getting the attention that the climate emergency deserves, complaining that the region’s authorities are leaving this month’s climate negotiations in Madrid, also known as COP25, without committing to new climate action plans for 2020, as other nations have done.
— VOA

Freedom of Religion is Everyone’s Fundamental Right: AICHR
Freedom of religion and belief is the fundamental right of every human being, Indonesian representative for the ASEAN Intergovernment Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Yuyun Wahyuningrum said.
— Tempo

Indian Ocean Region nations should build a common vision for Indo-Pacific: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Saturday, that one of the problems in building partnerships in the Indo-Pacific maritime region was the lack of consensus on what such a concept meant or “even its geographic extent”.
— The Hindu

Australia, RoK voice concern over East Sea dispute
Australia and the Republic of Korea (RoK) expressed their grave concern over recent developments in the East Sea, and affirmed the importance to maintain and promote peace and stability in the waters, at the fourth Australia – RoK Foreign and Defence Ministers Meeting in Sydney.
— Vietnamplus

Strategic connectivity key to Asean’s growth, says Thai envoy
Thailand is banking on the strategic connectivity with Malaysia as a key growth engine in Asean.
— New Straits Times

ASEAN, EU agree to lay groundwork to resume free trade talks
Southeast Asian economies and the European Union agreed Friday to work toward resuming stalled free trade agreement talks and counter a trend toward protectionism.
— Livingston Ledger

Cybersecurity: A warning cry for ASEAN
Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most economically dynamic regions, but there is a large and potentially disastrous flaw in the business model of many companies in the region.
— The Asean Post

Yearender: China, ASEAN make great strides in building community with shared future
The year 2019 has been a fruitful year for China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in their concerted efforts to consolidate ties and forge a closer community with a shared future.
— Xinhuanet

Vietnam scoops fourth in Southeast Asia food security ranking
Fourth in Southeast Asia and 54th in the world, Vietnam performs well on Economist Intelligence Unit food security index.
— VnExpress International

Cambodia morning news

Compiled by Raksmey Khoem          @raksmey.aecnews

 

Gov’t responds to EU’s report on possible trade sanctions
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Thursday that Cambodia had responded to the European Union’s preliminary report on suspending trade preferences, giving “comprehensive” explanations about what it had done to improve political participation, land rights, freedom of expression and freedom of association.
— CamboJa News

Meet the man on a mission to take down Cambodia’s timber tycoons and expose a rampant illegal cross-border trade.
Under a rickety wooden stilt house near Cambodia’s Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the country’s leading environmental campaigners is preparing dinner.
— Aljazeera

Sugary drinks to be banned at schools in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh has announced plans to ban the sale of sugary drinks at schools in line with the Partnership for Healthy Cities across 70 of the world’s urban areas in efforts to tackle non-communicable diseases.
— The Phnom Penh Post

See here for more of today’s Cambodia morning news

Indonesia morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy         @justhine.aecnews

 

Indonesia breaks into UNDP’s high human development category
For the first time in its history, Indonesia has made it into the United Nation’s high human development category thanks to its improved ranking in the 2018 Human Development Index (HDI).
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia Ready to Face EU Complaints to WTO
Indonesia stands ready to face a few official complaints from the European Union to the World Trade Organization, or WTO, as trade tension between the two economic powerhouses heightens.
— Jakarta Globe

Riau is one of gateways for international animal trade syndicate
Riau Province is one of the gateways for an international syndicate to smuggle endangered animals, Director of Criminal Detective Unit of the Riau Provincial Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Andri Sudarmadi said here on Sunday.
— Antara News

See here for more of today’s Indonesia morning news

Lao PDR morning news

Compiled by Raksmey Khoem         @raksmey.aecnews

 

Vietnam to Import More Energy from Laos
Vietnam has decided to import an additional 200 MW of electricity from Laos next year amid possible power shortages.
— The Laotian Times

Project to boost Lao textile exports to Europe
That was the message from Director General of the Trade Promotion Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Mr Xaysomphet Norasingh on Wednesday at the agreement signing ceremony between Laos and the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the Home Textiles – Laos project.
— ANN/Vientiane Times 

Foreign affairs officials discuss plans amid changing global environment
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Saleumxay Kommasith presided over the official opening ceremony of the two day-meeting at the International Cooperation Training Centre (ICTC) in Vientiane. About 500 officials including ministers, deputy provincial governors, ambassadors, Lao diplomats posted overseas and others from the ministry attended the event.
— ANN/Vientiane Times

See here for more of today’s Lao morning news

Malaysia morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men         @MenSreypov

 

Malaysia bans Indonesian pork products as ASF precaution
Pork products from Indonesia are now banned, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Sim Tze Tzin said, adding South-east Asia’s largest economy to a growing list of countries Malaysia has forbidden the.
— Malay Mail

Boom: Malaysia’s Northern States boosted by infrastructural aid, US-China trade war
Driving up to Malaysia’s north-west, one is more likely to be greeted by endless padi fields than rows of factories and trucks transporting cargo. But it belies a tremendous surge of investment interest in recent years.
— The Straits Times

Malaysia improves Global Food Security Index ranking
Malaysia has jumped to the 28th place in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) this year, compared to the 48th position in 2018.
— The Sun Daily

See here for more of today’s Malaysia Morning News

Myanmar morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men         @MenSreypov

 

Myanmar waits on emergency measures and final ruling in ICJ ‘genocide’ case
A decision on the emergency measures sought by Gambia in their “genocide” case against Myanmar could take months, while a final ruling if the ICJ decides to take on the full case could take years.
— Mizzima

Suu Kyi warns UN not to reignite Rohingya crisis
Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi urged United Nations (UN) judges on Thursday to throw out a genocide case against Myanmar, warning it risked reigniting the crisis that forced nearly three quarters of a million Rohingya Muslims from their homes.
— The Asean Post

7-pc economic growth expected in 2019-20 FY
In 2019-20 fiscal year, Myanmar’s economic growth is expected to increase by seven per cent thanks to the good prospects of domestic transport and travel and tour services, according to the 2019-20 FY budget.
— Eleven Myanmar

See here for more of today’s Myanmar morning news

Philippines morning news

Compiled by Stella-maris Ewudolu         @stmarisewudolu

 

Davao Del Sur Hit by Earthquake with 6.9 Magnitude
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded a 6.9 magnitude quake in Davao Del Sur today, December 15, 2019 at 2:11 PM.
— Philippine News

Foreign debt rose 8.2% to hit record $82.7b in September
The country’s foreign debt stock increased by $6.3 billion or 8.2 percent to hit a record $82.77 billion as of end-September from $76.41 billion a year ago, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.
— Manilastandard.net

International tourist arrivals reach 1.1 billion in 9 months
Tourist arrivals to worldwide destinations reached 1.1 billion in the nine months ending September, the United Nations World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) said in a report.
— The Philippine Star

See here for more of today’s Philippines morning news

Singapore morning news

Compiled by Justhine De Guzman Uy         @justhine.aecnews

 

MFA issues travel notice for northeast India due to violent protests
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Saturday (Dec 14) issued a travel notice for northeast India, advising Singaporeans travelling there to exercise vigilance and caution.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

73 PMD-related fires from Jan to Sept, figure is highest in 5 years
There were 74 fires involving these devices for the whole of last year.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Singapore aims to put 12% of students through work-study pathway by 2030
Singapore is aiming for 12 per cent of every student cohort to undergo the work-study pathway by 2030.
— Channel NewsAsia (very annoying popups)

See here for more of today’s Singapore morning news

Thailand morning news

Compiled by John Le Fevre         @photo_journ

 

Opposition sign pledge to push for charter rewrite
Before they held a discussion on the charter, seven opposition parties signed a letter of ratification on Saturday to confirm their determination to amend the current Constitution. Future Forward party…
— Thai PBS News

Future Forward’s Thanathorn says he’ll “bring people to the streets”
It’s the biggest political rally since the general election in March, probably the largest rally in five years since before the military coup in 2014.
— The Thaiger

See why Thai diplomacy packs a punch: Welcome to Thailand, with FM Don (video)
Foreign and local media representatives attending an end-of-year gathering at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Bangkok last week got to see a different side of the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Don Pramudwinai, and thanks to his good humour, so too can you.
— AEC News Today (video)

See here for more of today’s Thailand morning news

Vietnam morning news

Compiled by Sreypov Men         @MenSreypov

 

Việt Nam ranks second in fintech investment in Southeast Asia
Venture capital funding pouring into Vietnamese fintech companies accounted for 36 per cent of the total fintech investment in Southeast Asia.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam targets US$100-billion textile exports by 2030: PM
In 2019, the industry is estimated to have exports of US$39 billion, up 7.55% year-on-year and around US$1 billion lower than the target of US$40 billion.
— The Hanoitimes

Lower tax for imported pork to benefit consumers
With a population of nearly 100 million, Việt Nam is one of the world’s top pork consumers and second in Asia, only after China.
— Viet Nam News

See here for more of today’s Vietnam morning news

 

 

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