ASEAN and the world

Indonesia continues to push the use of electric vehicles (EVs) with the dream of bluer skies and cleaner air with lower pollution in the country.

Emeritus Professor Hal Hill from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University has affirmed that Australia's future really lies in ASEAN.

Thai Minister of Labour Pipat Ratchakitprakarn has extended a warm welcome to Geraldine Ansart, Chief of Mission in Thailand at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the delegation from IOM to Thailand, as both parties discussed the international migration of workers.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Independent Evaluation Department (IED), in its midterm review of ADB’s Strategy 2030, said the bank needs to further clarify its strategic priorities to remain relevant and responsive to the needs of its developing member countries (DMCs).

The leaders of ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste are descending on Melbourne for a Special Summit to celebrate 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974 – an achievement of which Australia is very proud, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski has said in his op-ed on the upcoming big event.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday priced a $3.5 billion 5-year global bond, proceeds of which will become part of ADB’s ordinary capital resources.

(CPV) - The Land and Maritime Connectivity Project that is supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is delivering results and is already boosting land and maritime connectivity and strengthening the transport network in Solomon Islands.

(CPV) - European Union (EU) import charges on carbon-intensive products are expected to have a limited impact on climate change and only a modest negative effect on economies in Asia and the Pacific, according to research by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

(CPV) - The impacts of climate change, including slow and sudden onset weather events, are reducing the ability of countries to meet their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a report released today by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $23 million loan to enhance access to quality fintech education, research, and innovation at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in India.

(CPV) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice-President Scott Morris joined Samoa’s Finance Minister and ADB Governor Lautimuia Afoa Uelese Vaai today to open the new premises for ADB’s Samoa Pacific Country Office (PCO) in Samoa’s Central Bank.

Thailand exported over 100,000 tonnes of chicken worth over 100 billion THB (2.7 billion USD) last year, making the country the world’s third-largest exporter behind Brazil and the US.

Indonesia is facing a scarcity of premium-grade rice in retail stores as a result of producers pegging rice prices at a high level.

Spending for Valentine’s Day this year in Thailand is expected to increase 5.4% from 2023 to about 2.52 billion THB (70 million USD), according to a recent survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Malaysia's palm oil stocks fell to their lowest in six months at the end of January as production plunged to the lowest level in nine months amid steady exports, the industry regulator has said.

Phitsanulok province, northern Thailand, attracted over 4 million tourists in 2023, becoming a new tourist attraction in the country.

The Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism hopes 6.2 million domestic and foreign tourists will make trips to the country in 2024, much higher than the initial target of 4.6 million set in late 2023.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $419.6 million loan for the Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Project to help Indonesia expand access to climate-resilient, adequate, and safely managed sanitation services in the cities of Mataram, Pontianak, and Semarang.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed a record amount of climate finance in 2023 to help its developing member countries (DMCs) in Asia and the Pacific cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of a warming planet.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and SAEL Industries Limited, through its subsidiary SAEL Solar P4 Private Limited, have signed a loan of up to 12.23 billion Indian rupees (about $147 million equivalent) for the development of a 400-megawatt (MW) greenfield solar power plant in Gujarat, India, to support the country’s ongoing transition toward clean energy and low-carbon growth.

Malaysia’s economy grew at a slower-than-estimated pace in the fourth quarter of 2023, as exports to China fell, signaling that a firmer recovery is taking longer than expected.

A court in Thailand on January 19 ordered the government to come up with an urgent plan to curb air pollution within 90 days, as the country braces for its annual peak of noxious haze.

Laos held a state-level meeting on January 19 to celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army (LPA).

Thailand has discovered nearly 15 million tonnes of lithium deposits, a boost for the country's goal of becoming a regional hub for electric vehicle (EV) production, its Government announced on January 19.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and British International Investment (BII), the United Kingdom government’s development finance institution and impact investor, have launched a new trade finance partnership to promote green trade in Asia and the Pacific. Managed by ADB’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP), the initiative will prioritize renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate-smart agriculture to help reduce dependency on fossil fuels.

The 2024 growth forecast for the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) region has been kept at 4.5%, said the Singaporean-based ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) in its January quarterly update.

Cambodia reported 1,384 malaria cases in 2023, down about 66% from the previous year.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has supported Indonesia’s first social bond and sukuk issuance.

Travel magazine Travel and Leisure Asia has named both Vietnam and Thailand as popular gems in Southeast Asia due to their vibrant cultures, diverse landscapes, and thrilling adventures.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) priced a 3-year global benchmark United States (US) dollar bond worth $3 billion and a 10-year global benchmark US dollar bond worth $2 billion, proceeds of which will be part of ADB’s ordinary capital resources used to promote social and economic development across Asia and the Pacific on January 4th 2024.