ASEAN News

Member states of the of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations together with China, Japan and South Korea on Thursday vows to strengthen and maintain open markets among nation amid the Covid-19 pandemic in hopes to fight off the impact created by the health crisis. The economic ministers of each nations met on an online video conference chaired by Vietnam …

Asean chair for the regional bloc Vietnam has made a proposal this year to hold a physical summit despite the Covid-19 pandemic, A high rank official from Indonesian Foreign Ministry announced today. The face to face meeting, if approved, is expected to be held on June 27 and 28 i Da Nang, Vietnam. The two day summit which includes Asean …

United Nation rights chief on Wednesday has expressed alarm that China and Asian nations were using Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to target and tighten censorship and free expression. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that aside for the tigthened censorship in several countries, there were also arbitrary arrests and detention of people who criticize their government’s …

HANOI – As coronavirus continues to pose serious impact to the Asean region, Vietnam, as Asean chair, will have a big task on its plate to pull the region together the collectively defeat the common enemy the world is currently facing. Vietnam have chosen ‘Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN’ as the theme for its chairmanship. “Cohesive” signifies unity, solidarity  and internal …

South East Asia’s manufacturing sector continues to deteriorate amid further rapid contractions in both output and new orders despite re-opening of more economies from Covid-19 related lockdowns, with expectations of stabilizing production in the upcoming months. According to Japan’s Nomura Global Markets Research, Asean manufacturing experienced higher activity in May but the pace of recovery is more gradual than China’s …

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has certainly hit the Asean banks and induced a recession that is now currently affecting majority of the countries in the region. According to Fitch Ratings, They will be downgrading the Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of around 20% of ASEAN banks portfolio beginning March. ASEAN banks portfolio ratings in this period are at around …

HANOI – Top diplomats from Vietnam and Russia pledged here on Friday, May 29 to strengthen ties and bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation and discussed the deepened comprehensive strategic partnership by agreeing to continue coordinating the external activities of their …

HANOI – The Vietnam Mixed Martial Arts Federation (VMMAF) has officially made its debut on May 30. The announcement following a founding congress (2020-2025 tenure) in Hanoi, Over 100 delegates were present as the congress elected an executive board of 21 members for the newly founded mixed martial arts federation. Chairman of the Members’ Council of the East Sea Shipping …

JAKARTA – China announced on Friday that it is ready to extend assistance to their Southeast Asian neighbors amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to Chinese ambassador to Asean Deng Xijun, President Xi Jinping is committed to extending the international aid on nations affected by the pandemic, including the South east Asian region. Deng has indicated that Asean can benifit …

As the trade war between China and the United States continues to grow, China’s trade focus are now shifting to its southern neighbors. The Asean is now China’s largest trading partner in the first quarter of 2020. During this period, Trade with the Asean region increased by US$140 billion or accounting to near 16% of total trade volume. Although China …