Obama to raise territorial dispute at Asia summits

12 March, 2013
Political Security

Obama to raise territorial dispute at Asia summits

• US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the US looks forward to working with Brunei on issues like the South China Sea, energy and climate change
• The White House said the visit from the Sultan of Brunei underscores the strategic importance the president places on the Asia Pacific region and to substantive engagement with friends and partners in the region
• President Barack Obama pledged to bring up maritime disputes boiling between China and its neighbours at the US-ASEAN and East Asia summits this October
• Obama said the summits would also be a good venue to discuss commerce, economic and other diplomatic issues impacting a region to which he has “pivoted” US diplomatic and military resources
• The president also noted that the United States would take part in the first ASEAN-US-China joint exercise, to test how Pacific military powers can work together on disaster relief

China imports Halal expertise and more food from Malaysia

10 March, 2013
Trade and Investment

• The Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) said China imported RM 62 billion F&B from Malaysia last year, up 20% from 2011
• Currently, about 360 stock keeping units (SKUs) containing Malaysia’s F&B products are sold in Beijing supplied by 19 suppliers comprising mostly local Chinese importers and industries
• Other initiatives include assisting importers and distributors to penetrate north China, and distributing Malaysia’s F&B products to local and foreign owned hypermarkets and convenience stores
• The Halal Development Cooperation (HDC) has received requests from China to use Malaysian standards for halal food, namely the Malaysia Standard and Malaysia Certification, which are recognised worldwide
• The HDC expects halal food exports to increase by 6% from a total export value of RM 37.5 billion last year

Indonesia, Thailand expect more Chinese tourists in the near future

4 March, 2013
Trade and Investment

• The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said the three-day Songkran festival next month is expected to attract a record number of Chinese tourists to Chiang Mai that will generate between 400 to 500 million baht in tourism revenue for the northern province
• Wisoot Buachoom, director of TAT Northern Region Office said the increase in Chinese visitors to the province can already be felt and is likely to hit a record high during the Thai New Year celebrations, due in part to the success of the Chinese comedy movie “Lost in Thailand”
• Meanwhile, Bali received 25,954 Chinese visitors during the first month of this year, down 53% from January 2012. Eddy Sanyoto, owner of a travel agency that mainly deals with the Chinese market, said heavy rain and storms in Bali throughout January reduced Chinese interest in visiting Bali but remained optimistic about long term prospects

China reinforces trade and investment in Cambodia

5 March, 2013
Trade and Investment

• To date, China has built tar-paved roads in a total length of more than 2,000 kilometres in Cambodia, making it the largest donor of road development in the country
• Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked China for supporting Cambodia in building local infrastructure essential to boost social and economic development
• The 2013 China’s Zhejiang and Cambodia matchmaking symposium was recently held to seek opportunities to expand business ties between China and Cambodia
• Vice Governor of Zhejiang province, Gong Zheng, said two-way trade between Zhejiang province and Cambodia was worth US$ 460 million in 2012, up 10% year-on-year

Palm oil inventory in China seen at record

1 March, 2013
Trade and Investment

• Palm oil inventory held at ports in China expanded to a record last month driven by slow growth in demand and after the biggest-ever purchases in December, according to a Bloomberg survey
• The inventory in China adds to a glut in the world’s most-used cooking oil, which is caught in a bear market as supply expands to the biggest ever
• Reserves in Malaysia, the largest producer after Indonesia, reached an all-time high in December
• China’s imports from Malaysia slumped 15% to 246,290 tonnes in February from a month earlier

Canada re-engages Myanmar

18 February, 2013
Foreign Affairs

A Canadian delegation arrived in Myanmar as part of an on-going process of re-engagement between the two countries, offering to share its experiences and perspectives on good parliamentary practices. In 2007, Canada imposed trade sanctions on Myanmar which were significantly lifted last year. To further encourage business between the countries, the Myanmar government announced business visas on arrival for Canadian citizens earlier this month. The Canadian Embassy will open in Yangon later this year. Canadian investment in Myanmar amounted to about US $40 million as of June 2012, according to the Myanmar Investment Commission. A reciprocal visit by Myanmar representatives to Canada is expected to take place later this year.

Myanmar Garment Factories Gear up for Foreign Investment

18 February, 2013
Business and Investment

The Myanmar Garment Entrepreneurs Association said that some local garment enterprises are changing their business tactics to appeal to foreign investors. Local garment entrepreneurs opined that hundreds of foreign garment enterprises have been attracted by Myanmar’s tax breaks which will be reduced to 15 per cent, depending on the type of export good.

Farmers sue military’s largest conglomerate over ‘land grab’

18 February, 2013
Business and Investment

Forty eight farmers have sued officials from a chemical plant in Sagaing Region that is owned by the military’s largest conglomerate, accusing them of appropriating more land for their plant than they were legally entitled to. The lawyer representing the farmers said Myanmar has plenty of similar issues that cannot be solved by neither new nor preceding laws, and is instead suing on the basis of the Specific Relief Act 1877. He added that it is necessary for Parliament to pass a law to solve land disputes because the recent 2012 Farmland Law does not provide a framework for solving disputes over land that began before it was enacted.

Myanmar workers protest against lack of healthcare at factory in Jordan

19 February, 2013
Business and Investment

Myanmar workers at a garment factory in Jordan have been protesting over what they say are unhealthy and exploitative working conditions. The protest at the garment factory followed an outbreak of diarrhoea believed to be the result of food poisoning, with the affected workers forced to continue working.

UN aid reaches long-isolated Kachin

19 February, 2013
Economy

UN relief workers arrived in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township on Sunday to provide assistance to 5,000 displaced locals following ceasefire talks between Kachin rebels and the government. Ashok Nigam, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar said humanitarian assistance must flow uninterrupted as long as people are in need. However, locals reported that while aid was arriving in the township, the Myanmarese military had also begun consolidating its positions in the area.