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 …

MANILA – The World Bank has approved a $500 million (P22 billion) loan to help the Philippines ease the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Bank said on Friday, that the fund approved will help the poor and vurnerable household and will support small and medium enterprises by providing financial assistance. The Philippines Emergency Covid-19 Response Development Policy Loan …

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 …

SEOUL – The Korean financial industry has mentioned the Southeast Asia region as the place where they want to establish its presence over the next three years to accomplish the country’s new three-year plan. South Korea’s FSC (Financial Services Commission) has announced three-year plan (2020-2022) and the expansion in ASEAN countries among one of the three major strategies for the …

MANILA – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has extended the deadlines for the reportorial requirement of companies with fiscal years ending amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. In an en banc meeting on May 7, SEC would allow companies with fiscal years ending between Jan. 31, 2020 and Mar. 31, 2020 to submit their annual reports and/or audited …

State-owned Government Savings Bank (GSB) expects the bank’s sponsored 150 billion baht in soft loans, part of efforts to help small businesses hurt by the Covid-19 outbreak, to be taken out within two months. Based on previous soft-loan schemes, the entire amount should be doled out within two months, said Chatchai Payuhanaveechai, GSB president and chief executive. Based on previous …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working with the tourism sector to find a strategy to achieve its 3.16-trillion-baht revenue target for 2020 and offset the sharp decline in Chinese tourists this year. A potential stimulus package comprising a financial scheme for local operators and a marketing campaign for international and domestic markets was the main focus of a …