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Twelve additional nations now requesting membership Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis BALI, Oct. 6 – As the United States dithers about its role and commitment to Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, other countries have expressed keen interest. Among the largest lobbying groups here at the APEC summit in Bali is India, who have had Dr. Nouriel […]

Is America losing its Asian mojo? While China has announced a trade goal of US$1 trillion with Asia by 2020, United States President Obama has cancelled his long planned attendance to the primary U.S.-Asia focused event of the year – APEC.

Oct. 4 – The 10th Latin Asia Business Forum was held in Singapore on Wednesday, attended by the Finance Ministers of several Asian and Latin American countries. Event Chairman Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore’s Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, stated that “there is plenty of room to develop ties. We are still significantly underweight in each […]

China clamps down on tourists defacing monuments and the practice of obtaining shopping kickbacks Oct. 3 – China has issued several new laws that will impact upon its domestic tourists in a step to decrease the amount of unruly behavior both at home and overseas. One of the new regulations includes a ban on tours […]

Developed ASEAN Nations Fare Well In Scoring Oct. 3 – The World Economic Forum has released a new global Human Capital Index that measures a country’s ability to make the most of its workers. The report states that “the key for the future of any country and any institution lies in the talent, skills and […]

Oct. 1 – According to sources closely tied to the government, Chinese President Xi Jinping is concerned with his countries moral decline and obsession with money, and has been further promoting China’s three traditional faiths – Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism – in the hope that they can counter societal corruption. The sources have told Reuters […]

China is no longer the powerhouse of manufacturing that is once was. The reasons for this shift and the growing importance of Vietnam and India are examined in this article.

Chris Devonshire-Ellis, founding partner of Dezan Shira & Associates, has spent close to 30 years in Asia and travels extensively around the region looking at where the new opportunities for foreign investments lie. Here is his annual quick round up concerning Asian nations and their immediate opportunities and problems.

Sept. 24 – The Singapore government today announced rules that will require companies operating in the country to consider Singaporeans for skilled job vacancies before turning to candidates from abroad. Commencing August 2014, firms with more than 25 employees must advertise a vacancy for professional or managerial jobs paying less than S$12,000 (US$9,605) a month […]

Singapore and the European Union (EU) have finalized the draft for their free trade agreement, the first such agreement between the EU and any Southeast Asian nation. The agreement seeks to increase market access between the two nations by liberalizing trade through the removal of tariff and technical barriers.