ASEAN News

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 …

The Asean and it’s member states are pushing for the creation of “bubbles” that will let people travel from one spot to another while restricting them on going to area heavily infected by the virus. This initiative aims to kickstart tourism heavily hit by the pandemic. According to Hla Myint, director at Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the recent …

The Covid-19 is a health crisis that poses a significant threat to the ASEAN region due to region’s geographical proximity to China (then epicenter). The massive impact of the outbreak has brought unprecendented issue in South East Asia unlike anything they faced before. The best way for the Asean to deal with the pandemic is to stand united as the …