ASEAN and the world

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, has called on developed countries to carry out their commitments to help middle-income ones realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Russian Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Evgeny Zagaynov has underlined the importance of Southeast Asia in the world.

Laos welcomed nearly 831,250 foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year, according to the country's Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Switzerland signed a cofinancing agreement of up to USD5 million to nurture financial technologies (fintech) that can help address low financial inclusion in Viet Nam, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

(CPV) - ADB in partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three (ASEAN+3) finance ministers and central bank governors, today launched the report “Reinvigorating Financing Approaches for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure in ASEAN+3”. The report was launched on the sidelines of ADB’s 56th Annual Meeting. The ASEAN+3 comprises the 10 ASEAN member states, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP), a landmark program which could significantly ramp up support for the region in the battle against climate change.

(CPV) - About 4,500 participants are gathering in Incheon for the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 56th Annual Meeting, which opens on May 2nd 2023.

Thailand's industrial output declined for the sixth straight month in March as weak global demand hampered exports, the country’s Ministry of Industry has announced.

Representatives of five ASEAN member states - Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand - plan to gather in Singapore from June 7-8 to discuss transboundary haze.

At least 40 domestic flights have been canceled on May 1 due to a power failure at Ninoy Aquino Airport, the main airport in the capital city of Manila, the Philippines.

ASEAN member states and Russia reaffirmed commitments to strengthen their strategic partnership at the 19th ASEAN-Russia Senior Officials Meeting (ARSOM) held recently in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook central Indonesia on April 21.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Michiko Suga as Representative at its European Representative Office (ERO) in Frankfurt, Germany.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on April 18th 2023 priced a $3.5 billion 5-year global bond, proceeds of which will be part of ADB’s ordinary capital resources.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) joined the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) on April 14th 2023 to announce $35 million to help boost energy access and the energy transition in South and Southeast Asia.

Cambodia has made a number of great achievements in the development of the health sector in the past decades, said a joint statement released by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) on April 7 on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of WHO.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar) have signed three loans to build three solar power plants in Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya (Sherabad), Samarkand, and Jizzakh regions. Together these power plants will be able to generate 897 MW, making them the region’s largest solar power development.

(CPV) - Economic growth in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is expected to increase to 5% in 2023 following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the recovery of household demand, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2023, released on April 4th 2023 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasts faster growth for developing economies in Asia and the Pacific this year, as the continued easing of pandemic restrictions boosts consumption, tourism, and investment. The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) reopening—as it pivots away from its zero-COVID strategy—is the main factor brightening the region’s growth prospects.

The participation of ASEAN member countries in the 12th ASEAN Para Games is not only a success for the host country but also the entire ASEAN family, Secretary-General of the National Paralympic Committee of Cambodia Yi Veasna has said.

(CPV) - Financial conditions improved modestly in emerging East Asia between late November and early March amid eased recession risks and inflationary pressure, according to the latest issue of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asia Bond Monitor. However, conditions weakened at the end of the period due to uncertainty about United States (US) monetary policy and recent turmoil in the US and European banking sectors.

All-level public and private educational institutions in Cambodia will be closed from April 20 to May 18 for the 32nd SEA Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on March 23 that the Nexus Project prototype of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has successfully connected with the payment systems of Europe, Malaysia and Singapore.

The death toll in a fire at an Indonesian fuel storage depot run by state energy firm Pertamina has risen to 33 with nearly a dozen more in critical condition, health authorities said on March 24.

Partnership and cooperation between ASEAN and India have been increasingly consolidated, especially in trade, after three decades of establishment.

Indonesia, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2023, has called on regional countries to cooperate in combating fake news and misinformation related to government.

(CPV) - The food systems in East Asia and the Pacific, known for its diverse and vibrant food culture is changing rapidly. Traditional healthy fresh food diets are being replaced by an increasing consumption of highly processed ‘junk’ food and drink full of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

The reformation of Indonesia’s financial sector through the implementation of the Law on Financial Sector Development and Strengthening (UU P2SK) will be based on five pillars, Vice Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara has said.

ASEAN will more than double its natural gas demand to 350 billion cubic metres by 2050 as the region shifts away from coal-fired power generation, according to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

(CPV) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on February 21st 2023 to discuss the country’s development priorities. Mr. Asakawa conveyed ADB’s intention to provide USD20 billion–USD25 billion resources over 5 years to advance the country’s aspirations for fast, inclusive, and green growth.