ASEAN-India Free Trade Area Part I: Introduction
By Alex Tangkilisan Feb. 7 – The ASEAN–India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) is a free trade area consisting of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India. The initial framework agreement was signed in Bali, Indonesia, on October 8, 2003, and the final agreement was signed on August 13, […]
Malaysia-China Industrial Park to Open in Pahang
Feb. 6 – Malaysia – the first Southeast Asian nation to establish formal diplomatic ties with Communist China back in 1974 – has formally launched the first joint Malay-Sino industrial park in Kuantan, the state capital of Pahang Province. Pahang is Malaysia’s third-largest state, while Kuantan it is located roughly halfway up the east Malay […]
Qantas Repositions Key Asian Hubs, Plans Service Overhaul
Feb. 5 – Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, is currently overhauling its Asian strategy by featuring Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok as prominent regional hubs as part of its rescheduling of flight times. The strategy is initially aimed to boost Qantas’ penetration of Asia with better connections to flights on partner airlines, but has long term […]
The Philippines Sees Economy Expand By 6.6% in 2012
Feb. 4 – The Philippines’ economy grew 6.6 percent during 2012, a better than expected performance which was boosted by a final Q4 GDP growth of 6.8 percent. The figures represent a considerable improvement over 2011’s GDP growth of 3.9 percent, and make the Philippines one of the better performers in Asian GDP growth for […]
New Issue of India Briefing: India’s Taxes for Foreign-invested Entities
In this issue of India Briefing, we begin with an overview of India’s taxes on business, which includes a section on India’s double taxation avoidance agreements, and then discuss individual income tax rates and deductions.
Singaporeans on Pace to Be a Minority in Singapore
Feb. 4 – Foreign nationals are expected to make up 50 percent of Singapore’s total population by 2030, according to a recent government white paper. The Singaporean National Population and Talent Division stated that Singapore’s birth rate has been below replacement levels for the past three decades and, as a result, immigration is necessary to […]
Vietnam as a Manufacturing Base for Sales to China
By Hoang Thu Huyen and My Nguyen, Dezan Shira & Associates Jan. 31 – One of the great enigma’s concerning managers across Asia today is Vietnam’s trade relationship with China, its massive northern neighbor with which it shares an 840-mile border. This is a timely question to examine, not least because Vietnam is one of […]
Vietnam Reduces Corporate Income Tax to 23 Percent
Jan. 29 – The Vietnamese Ministry of Finance finished drafting its Corporate Income Tax Law last week in a plan to cut current rates from 25 percent down to 23 percent. Corporate income tax (CIT) rates have been adjusted several times over the past nine years: the 2003 CIT law of 2004 decreased rates from […]
Myanmar-China Oil Pipeline Set to Commence Pumping in May
Jan. 24 – China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) stated that the long awaited Myanmar-China oil and gas pipelines should be operational by May of this year. The 1,100 kilometer pipeline stretches from Kyaukpyu Port on Myanmar’s central west coast, crosses the country from west to east and terminates at Ruili, near Kunming, in Yunnan Province. […]
Vietnam vs. China Part II: Corporate Income Tax
This is the second article in a series dedicated to comparing the costs and ease of doing business in Vietnam and China from the standpoint of a foreign investor. By Rosario Di Maggio Jan. 22 – Many foreign investors operating in China today are looking at Vietnam as a sort of additional “province” or alternative […]