News

The Cambodian automotive industry will expand after the Kingdom’s integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, thanks to the free flow of goods within the bloc and Cambodia’s competitive advantage as a low-cost manufacturer, according to Cambodian Commerce ...

CP Laos and CP Cambodia are investing a combined Bt250 million to set up a new silo for maize in Cambodia and a new feed-meal plant in Laos to strengthen CPF’s integrated agricultural-industrial business as the Asean Economic Community (AEC) approaches. Most recently, the company ...

Siam Commercial Bank will begin expanding its footprint across the region in anticipation of greater business opportunities and competitive pressures with the launch of the Asean Economic Community in 2016. SCB, Thailand’s third-largest bank in terms of assets, operates branches in Laos, Singapore and Hong ...

The World Bank and Japan will promote Thailand as the insurance centre of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to help develop the industry in neighbouring countries and provide professional services to the more advanced economies. The move is also expected to upgrade the insurance ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has called for the removal of all tariff and non-tariff barriers when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) integrates in 2015, saying it is of central importance. Speaking at the opening of an ASEAN symposium in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, the premier said integration of ...

In order for Cambodia to maintain the same rate of growth it has enjoyed in the past few years, exports need to diversify from textiles and tourism to modern services, said the World Bank’s country manager yesterday in Phnom Penh. “Cambodian firms are already tentatively exporting ...

The South East Asian business elite and 16 Heads of States and Governments will meet in Phnom Penh when the 9. ASEAN Business & Investment Summit will be held as an official side event to the ASEN Leaders Summit and the ASEN Leaders Summit (EAS) “Interest ...

ASEAN leaders have proposed putting off the planned launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) until the end of 2015, instead of the beginning of that year, so each member state will have more time to prepare for the single market, according to Cambodian Commerce ...

Kasikornbank aims to expand its bancassurance business into neighbouring countries after finding that customers in Laos and Cambodia incur higher medical expenses. Pakorn Partanapat, executive vice president, said that the bank has prepared business plans to cope with the Asean Economic Community (AEC), and bancassurance is ...

Thailand’s border trade with neighbouring countries is targeted to double to Bt2 trillion by 2015, thanks to the seamless market brought by the Asean Economic Community. “Cross-border trade continues to play a more important role for Thailand with closer economic cooperation ahead of the AEC,” Olarn ...

Thai Beverage’s stake in Fraser & Neave (F&N) is another piece of the strategic jigsaw as ThaiBev moves to become an international giant, benefiting from the Singapore-based beverage firm’s regional distribution network and management know-how Not only has its beverage business expanded regionally and globally, the ...

Siam Cement Group (SCG), the country’s top industrial conglomerate, says its logistics unit will cover Asean and southern China within five years, partly through mergers and acquisitions. Kan Trakulhoon, the president and chief executive, said the expansion will accommodate growing regional trade under the Asean Economic ...

Despite so much excitement in the run-up to the inception of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, experts and activists on human rights and democracy are ambivalent about what AEC’s repercussions will be on human rights and democracy. They have expressed concerns about AEC’s negative ...

As business opportunities open wider ahead of the launch of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the four less-developed economies, often referred to as CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) are among the most attractive for Thai investors The disparity between CLMV and the three ...

ASEAN economic ministers on Friday agreed to spur stronger cooperation and make more of an effort to enhance the region’s integration in preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. Speaking during the press conference on the closing of the 44th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting ...

When deciding what aspects of their economies to prioritise to grow their economies, ASEAN’s less developed countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), should look to the organisation’s oldest members (the ASEAN-6) for guidance, according to a joint statement following the fourth CLMV Economics Ministers’ ...

The vision regional leaders have for an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015 may become clearer after this week’s Economic Ministers meeting in Siem Reap, but not everyone has a rose-coloured view of what such integration might mean for Cambodia. Students who have not mastered the ...

Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the auto services, logistics, software and medical tourism sectors are tipped to see massive growth opportunities once the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is set up. Industry Minister M.R. Pongsvas Svasti said Thailand’s service sector, which accounts for 30% of ...

Domestic rubber prices are likely to stay below 120 baht a kilogramme over the next five years due to the sluggish world economic outlook that has sapped demand. The lingering euro-zone debt crisis, weak growth in rubber-using countries and rising production in Asean will continue to ...

Cambodia so far has not feared for creating ASEAN economic community 2015 and deeper ASEAN and East Asia regional integration as the region will have free flow of goods, worker mobilization, finance and investment,” trade minister Cham Prasidh said on June 12. His announcement was made during the workshop of ASEAN economic community 2015. “We ...

Cambodia’s ASEAN Economic Minister yesterday urged small and medium-size enterprises to focus on countries in Southeast Asia, rather than Europe and the United States, for export destinations. Cham Prasidh, also the minister of commerce, said yesterday that regional markets have traditionally held a second place to ...