Featured News
Stay on top of the latest business news from across Asia. Here we bring you a selection of the latest articles on economic, regulatory, tax, HR, and payroll developments published on our respective regional platforms.
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China Briefing
China’s 2022 Economic Outlook Based on GDP and Economic Indicators from 2021
China’s economic outlook for 2022 will depend on exports performance besides recovery of the property industry and domestic consumption growth.
2022 Chinese New Year: How Foreign Businesses Should Prepare in the COVID Context
We discuss how the 2022 Chinese New Year festival period could be impacted by COVID-related developments and how foreign businesses can prepare in advance.
Explainer: What’s Going on in China’s Property Market?
China's property developers have accrued debt worth billions of dollars - we examine the overall risk-exposure to the economy and discuss Beijing's options.
China 2021 Recap: Overview of a Pivotal Year
A condensed summary of an eventful 2021 where China tightened data and cyber security laws, increased regulatory scrutiny, enforced education reforms, and much more.
India Briefing
Applicability of GST on Overseas Transactions: FAQs and Case Studies
We highlight key points of India's goods and services tax regime and address GST applicability on overseas transactions by providing some case studies.
India’s Trade Prospects with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan
We look at India's trade relations with Central Asia and the South Caucasus, by spotlighting trends with three countries, and discuss emerging prospects.
India’s Export Opportunities Along the International North South Transport Corridor
Routes under the International North South Transport Corridor will ease trade and speed up connectivity between India, Europe, Central Asia, and beyond.
GST Compliance Requirements, Offenses, and Penalties under India’s GST Regime
We list the GST compliance requirements under the CGST Act, 2017, steps to ease the burden on taxpayers, and penalty provisions for non-compliance.
Vietnam Briefing
Vietnam's FDI Drops Slightly in 2021, but Reopening Measures Boosting Economy
Vietnam's economy and FDI suffered in 2021 due to stringent lockdowns. Nevertheless, reopening measures are already boosting the economy in 2022.
Vietnam Business Operations and the Coronavirus: Updates
Businesses in Vietnam need to prepare for an escalation of the coronavirus outbreak; measures taken by authorities may get enforced with little or no notice.
Why Manufacturing is Driving Vietnam’s Growth
Vietnam Briefing examines why manufacturing is driving Vietnam's growth and the factors contributing to Vietnam as a China plus one destination.
What EU’s Sustained Investment Tells Us About Vietnam’s Business Environment
EU's sustained investment in Vietnam shows Vietnam's improved business environment despite the pandemic. Vietnam Briefing highlights the reasons why.
ASEAN Briefing
Singapore Makes Amendments to Company Laws to Improve Compliance
Singapore’s Parliament approved amendments to two company laws. Businesses must now keep registers of their nominee shareholders and their nominators.
Why Use Singapore as a Base for ASEAN Expansion
Singapore has long been a preeminent destination for setting up a regional headquarter to pursue business opportunities across ASEAN and Asia.
Indonesia Increases Minimum Wage for 2022
Indonesia has increased the average minimum wage of each province by 1.09 percent for 2022. The figure was obtained through the new guidelines on minimum wage under Government Regulation 36 of 2021 (GR 36/2021).
Malaysia Imposes Licensing Requirements for Cloud Service Providers
Effective from January 1, 2022, Malaysia has imposed a licensing requirement on the provision of cloud services, although it will only be enforced from April 1, 2022.
Silk Road Briefing
Keep It Quiet Bruce, But Despite The Political Noise, Investment Into Australia From China And Hong Kong Has Been Increasing
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis RCEP is taking off and will provide significant trade opportunities for Australian exporters to Asia Lost amongst all the current Australian political bellicosity towards just about anyone not American these days, data from Q4 2021, compiled by Asian Investment Research shows that despite the political noise, investment flows from China and Hong[.....]
United States Closes Afghanistan Embassy And Withdraws Diplomatic Privileges
162,000 US based Afghans now without official representation The United States government has informed Afghanistan’s diplomats in the country that they will shut down the embassy in Washington and the consulate missions in Los Angeles and New York.
'China Plus Central Asia' Meeting Draws Eurasian Security And Trade Closer Together
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis Targets US$70 billion In China-Central Asian Trade by 2030, with specific opportunities for increased exports to China and tourism development. China’s President Xi Jinping held a virtual meeting yesterday (Tuesday, January 25) of the ‘China Plus Central Asia’ grouping, to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between them. The first such meeting[.....]
The Beijing Proposed 'China-India Ocean Council'
An interesting initiative emanating from China’s recent Foreign Ministerial visits to East Africa, Maldives and Sri Lanka has been the proposed ‘China-Indian Ocean Council’ – presumably a collection of Indian Ocean countries who would form a collective discussion bloc not unlike the Cooperation Between China & Eastern European Countries (CEEC) which was established in 2012.
Russia Briefing
Italian Corporate Executives Upset EU By Holding Trade & Investment Discussions With Russia
EU business lobby unhappy with lost export values into hundreds of billions of Euros should sanctions be imposed for supporting non-EU corporate interests The divide between EU business and US influenced political issues manifested itself again yesterday (Wednesday, January 26) as Russian President Vladimir Putin held a long-planned video call with leading Italian CEOs. The discussion[.....]
Russia - Azerbaijan 2021 Bilateral Trade Hits US$3 Billion
The Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mikhail Bocharnikov said at a press conference yesterday (January 25) that bilateral trade between the two countries had reached US$2.9 billion for the January-November period of 2021, indicating that the likely bilateral trade volume once December was included would be over US$3 billion.
Kazakh - Eurasian Economic Union 2021 Trade Up 30.5%
Mutual trade between Kazakhstan and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries – Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia reached US$23.4 billion for the eleven months January to November 2021, a 30.5% increase compared to the same period in 2020, according to data released by Kazakhstan’s Statistics Committee.
Russia Is Unlikely To Invade Ukraine. But This Is What It Could Do
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis The current situation as concerns Russia and Ukraine has many worried, with the prospects of war in Europe making mainstream headlines. However, there are multiple misconceptions about what is really happening. Here I deal with some of them.