Beijing has applied to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact once pushed by the US as a way to isolate China and solidify American dominance in the region. China submitted the formal application letter to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to New Zealand, according to a statement late on Thursday (Spet 16) in Beijing. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao had a follow-up call with his counterpart Damien O’Connor, as New Zealand is the dep

Asia is the world’s consumption growth engine — miss Asia and you could miss half of the global picture, a $10 trillion consumption growth opportunity over the next decade. Scale continues to be a key characteristic, but the story of the next ten years and beyond is one of rising diversity in consumer markets in this already diverse region amid significant social, demographic, and technological change. Three changes in perspective are key to understanding the new consumption

The ASEAN Investment Report is an annual report analysing investment and related issues in ASEAN. It is prepared under a technical cooperation arrangement between the ASEAN Secretariat and UNCTAD, supported by the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program Phase II. Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in ASEAN, an engine of global FDI growth for the past decade, fell by 25 per cent from its all-time high of $182 billion in 2019 to $137 billion in 2020 because of the im

Companies have reason to be sceptical about investing in Asia in general, and in China in particular, but Asian investment could still be a good bet. Issues such as intellectual property protection and the US-China trade wars could dissuade some companies from investing in Asia in general, and China in particular, but there is still plenty of interest in the region. In China, Beijing is tightening its grip on its thriving tech industry, forcing companies such as Alipay to hol

In the ongoing disruption of the global economy, Vietnam is emerging as a clear winner. Its economy is expected to grow by 4.8% of GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank. To be sure, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit Vietnam this summer, after the country was largely successful at curtailing the virus in 2020. That will hurt the country’s second half of 2021, but long-term trends still support Vietnam establishing itself as a major economic power. Crucial to its rise are powerf

TDM Insight: China Trade Statistics Show Supply Chain Disruption. By John W. Miller, Chief Economic Analyst - Trade Data Monitor The global economy is getting back to normal, but supply chains are not exactly returning to where they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. Consider this: In August, Chinese shipments of textiles fell 14.8% year-on-year, off a low base in 2020, to $12.5 billion, and exports of mobile phones declined 24.4% to $7.4 billion. However, sales of motor vehi

Fascinating to see how many of the brands are based in Asia or grew due to Asian markets The Briefing The fastest growing brand on the list is Tesla, which isn’t surprising—the company’s stock increased by almost 700% in 2020. What happened for Tesla last year to warrant such a boost? The company entered the SUV market with its launch of the Model Y, and started production in China, which increased sales in the country by 90% in the first 9 months of 2020. TikTok, which ranks

Latest Infographic from Hinrich Foundation: Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been transformational for the global economy, in particular for the Asia Pacific region. For evidence of FDI's impact, we look no further than China in our latest infographic. In many countries, FDI outperforms aid, remittances, and portfolio investments as the largest source of external financing. The investments create jobs, boosts incomes and productivity, improves management expertise, and spu

As part of our commitment to Asia FDI, Trade, Export and Market Access we are pleased to announce new regional partnerships to support Governments, Chambers and Businesses to access and grow across Asia Pacific: - Missouri Department of Economic Development (USA) - State of Missouri (USA) - Atlantic Canada Chambers of Commerce - Asia Market Development Program (Canada) - Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Malaysia) - OCO Global (UK) - Dentsu Tracking (Switzerland) -

KW Group delighted to support Atlantic Canada Chamber of Commerce, Asia Market Development Program What is the AMDP? The Asia Market Development Program (AMDP) is a powerful advisory and consultation program that is helping Atlantic Canada exporters expand their presence and grow sales in new industry sectors and countries in Asia. The AMDP provides exporters with the in-market expertise and network to quickly identify opportunity and connect with qualified customers. Your co

Article by James Zhan, Director of Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD courtesy of FDI Intelligence. The Covid-19 pandemic caused a triple economic shock — it hit supply, demand and policy-making at the same time. Foreign direct investment (FDI) paid the highest price as its drop in 2020 was significantly sharper than the drop in global gross domestic product (GDP) and trade. Looking ahead, I am cautiously optimistic about global FDI prospects in 2021, and more optimistic for 2

Analysis of recent UNCTAD's World Investment Report presented by UOB FDI Advisory Global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) have been hit harder by the coronavirus pandemic than the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. According to a 2021 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global FDI flows dropped one-third from US$1.5 trillion in 2019 to US$1 trillion in 2020. In fact, 2020's FDI flows were 20 percent lower than in 2009 after th

By John W. Miller, Chief Economic Analyst - Trade Data Monitor: China’s industrial sector is headed for a slowdown in the second half of 2021, according to an analysis by Trade Data Monitor, the world’s premier source of trade statistics. In July, overall exports increased 19.4%, to $282.7 billion, compared to the same month a year earlier, below analysts’ expectations. In June, they had increased 32.2% year-on-year. Imports in July rose 28.1% year-on-year, to $226.1 billion,

Cross-border trade has been a key driving force in the development of most of the world since the existence of the first civilizations. From the Silk Road that connected the East and West in ancient times to the goods we purchase online today, it has been essential to the growth of a multitude of civilizations, empires, and nations throughout the course of history. Decades back, countries in the European Union (EU) collaborated on facilitating cross-border economic activity w

For all the talk of deepening tensions between the United States and China, there is one area where relations appear to be 'business-as-usual': trade. Official Chinese data show that bilateral trade between the two countries surged in 2021, with China's exports to and imports from the United States reaching $46.9 billion and $14.3 billion in June respectively. “Trade wars between the U.S. and China have not really diverted trade towards other countries,” Keyu Jin, professor o

As the world emerges from an unprecedented pandemic-induced economic slump, Asia is once again garnering the attention of international investors and multinational corporations in the form of large-scale inflows of portfolio and direct investments into strategic economic sectors. Unlike the period following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis where the focus on Asian economies was almost exclusively realized by corporate and institutional investors, in the post-pandemic era, gov

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China on Monday celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their dialogue relations. Since the relations began in July 1991, bilateral trade volume had soared from less than 8 billion U.S. dollars to more than 680 billion dollars last year. With such a strong foundation, the two sides have pledged to enhance cooperation in all sectors to open a new chapter in ASEAN-China common development and prospe

Western European countries lead in the 2021 rankings, reflecting the resilience of economies in the face of the global COVID-19 health crisis. Switzerland has come top for the first time in the 33-year history of IMD’s World Competitiveness Ranking, in a year that reflected the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic competitiveness. Sweden came second (up from 6th last year) with Denmark in third spot (2nd in 2020) in a shakeup that saw European economies weather the hea

China has made a rapid economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, which seems to have moved European investors from favouring offshoring to rediscovering their appetite for the country. European companies are seeking to increase their exposure in China and move their supply chains onshore in the country, according to a report from the EU Chamber of Commerce in China published in June 2021. The European Business in China Business Confidence Survey 2021 finds that 59% of Eur

The EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) has published two papers calling for more progress on ASEAN’s regional economic agenda and linking a durable recovery from the pandemic to ASEAN’s Leaders, Trade and Finance Ministers putting in place specific measures to accelerate work on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The EU-ABC, which represents the interests of the European business community across Southeast Asia, cited concerns about the lack of progress on key elements of AS