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New targets were set for promoting trade between ASEAN and its partners this week at the 46th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in the Burmese capital of Nay Pyi Taw.

In a bid to further boost trade with China and address the increasing demand for transport and infrastructure, Myanmar is implementing a Central Economic Zone in the border town of Muse, project officials announced last Tuesday.

China leads among East-Asian nations in the Global Retail Development Index, ranking second globally.

The most recent FDI data from the World Bank shows that China and the larger ASEAN nations have performed well the past 18 months in terms of generating increased foreign direct investment.

India is currently the fourth most competitive manufacturing destination worldwide and is forecast to become second only to China by 2018.

Going into the second half of 2014, office rental around Asia continues on the up and up, though analysts are cautious about the effect of the slowing Chinese economy on the rest of the region, according to a recent report.

Singapore and Hong Kong have ranked among the top 10 in the 2014 Global Innovation Index, sponsored by Cornell University, INSEAD and the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization.

Free Trade Agreements with Asian nations are a boon for exports, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by HSBC.

Cloud computing is the future of business in Asia, and companies around the region are beginning to jump on board the train, although infrastructural and regulatory challenges remain, according to the Economist Corporate Network’s recent report.

After years of strengthening economic relations, Taiwan and the Philippines are expected to continue experiencing increasing amounts of bilateral trade, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, with trade volume between the two countries doubling from US$6.05 billion in 2009 to nearly US$12 billion in 2013.