ASEAN Affairs Forum

[ahfatzia]

ASEAN Countries.....Population....601 million ....Area......4.479 km sq


Brunei Darussalam........Bandar Seri Begawan................,409 population in thousand
Cambodia...................Phnom Penh........................ 14,952
Indonesia...................Jarkata..............................237,400
Laos..........................Vientiane.............................. 6,500
Malaysia.....................Kuala Lumpur........................28,300
Myanmar.....................Naypyidaw...........................60,280
Philippines...................Manila.................................92,338
Singapore...................Singapore..............................5,184
Thailand.....................Bangkok...............................66,720
Vietnam......................Hanoi..................................87,840


ASEAN Economy by country in 2011 GDP million/USD nominal

— ASEAN........2,153,919
1 Indonesia......845,680
2 Thailand........345,649
3 Malaysia........278,680
4 Singapore......259,849
5 Philippines......213,129
6 Vietnam.........122,722
7 Myanmar..........51,925
8 Brunei.............15,533
9 Cambodia.........12,861
10 Laos................7,891

 

[ahfatzia]

Chinese firms move ASEAN counties due to rising costs

Chinese manufacturers are moving to neighboring Southeast Asian nations or seriously considering moving due to rising wages and shrinking export demand, according to a foreign trade official from the Ministry of Commerce.

In the fields of textiles, garments, shoes and hats, nearly one-third of manufacturers are working" under growing pressure and have moved all or part of their production outside China, said the official, who declined to be named.

Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are their favored destinations and the trend will continue with more traditional labor-intensive manufacturers transferring production, China Daily reproted.

But the foreign trade official said that while some job losses occurred during the transfer, the phenomenon is "basically positive," and is "in line with" government commitments to upgrade China's industrial power and change its model of economic growth.

The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) urges exporters to produce more high-end goods.

Exporters are also actively seeking new ways to conduct business as export momentum declines due to a combination of negative factors at home and abroad, from higher labor costs to sluggish demand from the European Union and the United States.

China's labor costs have surged recently by 15 to 20 percent annually, squeezing margins and driving some companies to bankruptcy.

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, from January to June this year, the minimum wage was raised, on average, by 20 percent in 16 provinces.

Many developing countries in Southeast Asia have lower labor costs.

The monthly wage for manufacturing jobs in Vietnam was, on average, 600 yuan in 2011, equivalent to the level of 10 years ago in Dongguan, an industrial town in South China's Pearl River Delta.

Partly because of China's rising costs, foreign direct investment has been suffering in recent months.

According to a survey by the Capital Business Credit, a US-based financial consultancy firm, 40 percent of major companies interviewed said they have plans to move factories from China to other locations, including Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

But lower costs in other countries could soon change, some said.

"The advantage (of labor and production costs) in Southeast Asian countries will only last for a few years," said Chen Jian, a general manager of a garment company headquartered in Foshan, on the Pearl River Delta.

"The trend is just like what happened some 10 years ago when many manufacturing industries in Hong Kong and Taiwan moved to the Pearl River Delta to chase cheap labor. But now you can see how much our labor costs have gone up."

Chinese firms to move overseas due to rising costs - China.org.cn


Please fellows, post all ASEAN related economy, science & human developments and news on this thread unless your country has a thread of your own. Thanks

 

[Battle of Bach Dang River]

List of ASEAN countries GDP, International Monetary Fund 2011 estimates.

Rank Country GDP (millions of USD) GDP (PPP) (Millions of USD) GDP (PPP) per capita
1 Indonesia......... 845,680..... 1,124,000..... 4,666
2 Thailand.......... 345,649..... 616,783 ..... 9,398
3 Malaysia.......... 278,680..... 447,279 ..... 16,240
4 Singapore....... 259,849..... 314,911..... 59,710
5 Philippines...... 213,129..... 390,408 ..... 4,080
6 Vietnam.......... 122,722..... 299,985 ..... 3,359
7 Burma............ 51,925..... 82,679 ..... 1,325
8 Brunei........... 15,533..... 20,969 ..... 49,536
9 Cambodia..... 12,861..... 33,463 ..... 2,239
10 Laos............ 7,891..... 17,433 ..... 2,768


There are too large gap between countries in the association

 

[ahfatzia]

^^^ Don't worry, at the end of this decade Vietnam, Myanmar and Philippines will catch up to parity in both GDP and per capita. Laos and Cambodia's per capita will rise too. Politic in this area is relative stable if you discount a little hiccups here and there.



Myanmar president sees new investment law "within days"

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar's long-awaited foreign investment bill could be finalised within days, President Thein Sein said on Sunday as the regime woos overseas businesses to boost its struggling economy.

A draft of the much-delayed law was passed by parliament last month but Thein Sein - who must approve the bill - sent it back for amendments following signs of discord over how far the country should be opened up to outside investors.

"Job opportunities are rare in our country," the president told reporters on Sunday at his first domestic news conference since taking power 18 months ago.

"To get these opportunities, we definitely need foreign investment. So we revised the foreign direct investment law and submitted it to parliament. I think it will come out within days."

The law must "be in line with neighbouring countries", he said. "If so, investors will come."

The previous draft, which would have allowed foreign firms to own a stake of up to 50 percent stake in joint ventures with local partners, was seen by some as too protectionist. Details of the new draft have not yet been divulged.

Myanmar is seen by many investors as the next regional frontier market as businesses eye its huge natural resources, large population and strategic location between China and India.

As the West rolls back sanctions to reward the regime for a series of political reforms, corporate giants from Coca-Cola to General Electric are vying for a share of an expected economic boom.

Since taking office in March 2011, Thein Sein has overseen dramatic changes such as the release of political prisoners, the parliamentary debut of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ceasefire pacts with ethnic rebels.

The 67-year-old, who has a heart condition and uses a pacemaker, offered a fresh hint on Sunday that he might seek a second term, as his party looks ahead to elections in 2015 seen as a key test of the regime's reformist credentials.

"So far I have decided to serve one term because of my age and my health. But I will consider (serving a second term) if needed according to the country's situation and the people's desire," he said.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1232648/1/.html

 

[yusheng]

Nanning China-ASEAN Commercial Park

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It covers 170 hectares of land, 110 hectares of which are for international business affairs -- the rest for ASEAN bases.

With the China-ASEAN expo in Nanning, the city has played key roles in pushing forward exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.

Besides the ten ASEAN countries, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China's Hong Kong and Macao Special Administration Regions have set bases here.

In the park, 16 roads will be built in two phases. In the first phase, six roads, a total length of 7.84 km, have been built, with an investment of 334 million yuan (about 40.7 million US dollars).

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2005)

Well it's old news, but it is interesting to see what have been done in 6 years.
And yes, there a lot.

ASEAN country bases

Buildings represent their country style and culture

Thailand

 

[yusheng]

Nanning China-ASEAN Commercial Park

It covers 170 hectares of land, 110 hectares of which are for international business affairs -- the rest for ASEAN bases.With the China-ASEAN expo in Nanning, the city has played key roles in pushing forward exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.

Indonesia

Malaysia

Myanmar (Burma)

Cambodia

Lao

Vietnam

the map of park in Naning city:

 

[yusheng]

Nanning China-ASEAN Commercial Park
All proposed, under construction and completed towers in ASEAN commercial park business district in one picture.

timeline

 

[Battle of Bach Dang River]

I heard about the annual expo in Nanning: China-ASEAN Expo...

 

[retaxis]

I heard about the annual expo in Nanning: China-ASEAN Expo...

So? it goes contradictory to your anti vietnam and anti china standing?

 

[ahfatzia]

I read an article awhile back about how Guangxi elected to develop her economy alone within China rather than joined Guangdong's Pearl River bandwagon and the result was fell flat on her face. While Hunan, Jiangxi and western part of Fujian joined the bandwagon and is now thriving, but Guangxi remains behind. This shows politic, more often than not, can hurt the economy.

I hope this time around, with the central government aiming toward Southeast Asia and a rail link to Hanoi is up and running, Beihai Port and Nanning will benefit.

 

[Battle of Bach Dang River]

So? it goes contradictory to your anti vietnam and anti china standing?

Today, many Chinese are confused that Vietnamese anti-China. In fact, that's not true. We only against Chinese expansionism, greedy and bullying. We only expect China to respect the territory, territorial waters and islands of Vietnam. We hate China's U-shaped line, but not all Chinese...

 

[ahfatzia]

ASEAN+6 set to launch world's biggest free-trade market


ASEAN and six Asian leaders will this November announce the official establishment of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which will make it the biggest free-trade market on the globe.

"The leaders should come up with a formal statement to form the RCEP. The negotiations are expected to start early next year in order to wrap up the pact by 2015, just in time for the full implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community," Somkiat Triratpan, deputy director-general of the Trade Negotiations Department, said last week.

The leaders from 16 countries will mainly discuss the RCEP or ASEAN+6 free-trade agreement amid concerns over slowing global economic growth, he said.

The announcement is scheduled to be made during the ASEAN Leaders Summit in Cambodia from November 15-20. The RCEP will gather up the free-trade agreements between ASEAN and the six partner nations and then draw up further agreements to open up more trade, services and investment among the member states.

The RCEP countries will commit to liberalising almost 100 per cent of trade among them following many effective bilateral free-trade pacts between ASEAN and its partners. However, there is still a degree of protectionism for sensitive goods of some countries such as rice.

The region may also move slowly on freeing service and investment under the RCEP due to development disparity among the economies, so RCEP countries have to continue integrating to eliminate the barriers to opening up service and investment more deeply.

ASEAN countries and the private sector envision the RCEP as paving the way for stimulating the Asian economy and helping to balance expansion between Eastern and Western countries. The pact worth US$17 trillion (S$20.7 trillion, Bt522.49 trillion) in trade will also offset the power of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which is gathering nine trade members in Asia-Pacific.

The RCEP will also act as an important stepping stone to achieving the Free-Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific before 2020.

ASEAN groups 10 countries in Southeast Asia. The six partner countries are China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

The other ASEAN countries and six partners together account for 56 per cent or $255 billion of Thailand's total trade. If this regional free-trade pact is successfully concluded, Thailand will be able to increase trade with those countries significantly, he added.

According to the Thailand Development Research Institute and the department's study, the RCEP will help boost the Thai economy by 4.03 per cent. Local products that stand to benefit the most are processed fruits and vegetables, electrical appliances and electronic goods, automobile parts, rubber and plastic.

ASEAN+6 set to launch world's biggest free-trade market


This will become the strongest and most vibrant economic block in the world.

 

[INDIC]

When will the Dawei Port going to complete, which ASEAN countries will be using that.

 

[sweetgrape]

In ASEAN countries, there are many chinese, they have had big achievement, China should strengthen the relationship with friendly countries, that's also indirectly help the chinese in there, you know!!

Today, many Chinese are confused that Vietnamese anti-China. In fact, that's not true. We only against Chinese expansionism, greedy and bullying. We only expect China to respect the territory, territorial waters and islands of Vietnam. We hate China's U-shaped line, but not all Chinese...

So, when do you respect our territory, terriorial waters and islands? You think you are small, we are big, so we should obey your expect? I don't want to deceive myself, frankly, I dislike almost all vietnam!

Sorry to OP, I didn't want to involve the boring topic here, but see that comment, I can't help to!

 

[ahfatzia]

Only recently Dawei was connected to the rest of Myanmar by road and rail. There are plans to construct a deepwater port in Dawei. In November 2010, the Myanmar Port Authority signed a USD $8.6 billion deal with Italian-Thai Development to develop a deep sea port at Dawei. This development would become Myanmar's first Special Economic Zone, which includes plans to develop a 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) industrial estate, with sea, land (railway and road) infrastructure links to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, as well as a gas pipeline to Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province and commercial and residential developments. The development of the SEZ has been linked to land confiscations and land grabs from farmers, upwards of 63,768 acres (258.06 km2) (direct) and 153,919 acres (622.89 km2), potentially displacing 500,000 Dawei natives.

(Dawai Port at extreme Southeast)


Going by the location of the port and the infrastructure that build along with it, I would say the usage of the port is localized and limited to the benefits of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos , Cambodia and Vietnam, especially the first two. Joint operate by Italy/Thai company? Perhaps.