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A typical assumption made by purchasing managers is that quality standards applying to products made in Asia for export are similar to those of the West. However, there are strong differences between the quality control standards in different countries and between purchasers, both on the demand and the supply sides.

Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming services are expanding in the Asia-Pacific. Netflix is already broadening its customer base, and the region now presents an attractive market opportunity for other foreign streaming services.

As the cost of manufacturing in China continues to rise, the search for ever-more competitive products becomes increasingly important. While higher incomes in China have an upside, the reality is that a combination of rising wages, welfare and operational costs is encouraging the Asian supply chain to move.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China experienced an increase of 1.7 percent in 2014 to reach US$119.56 billion. While the rise in itself is not noteworthy, the direction of investment is significant.

In 2014, Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrated forty years of diplomatic relations. In that time, bilateral trade between Australia and several ASEAN member-states have seen enormous progress, but relations with others remain surprisingly slow.

The newest issue of Asia Briefing magazine, titled “The Asia Sourcing Guide 2015”, is out now and available as a complimentary download in the Asia Briefing Bookstore.

2014 was a formative year for Chinese territorial disputes with other nations. Tensions with Japan and The Philippines reached near breaking point, with signs of instability creeping into the entire Asian region. Yet behind these media-capturing headlines, trade has been booming.

On December 31, 2014, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that it had scrapped the quotas restricting exports of rare earth minerals and would replace them with a system of export licenses. The change follows China’s unsuccessful appeal of the WTO’s ruling that found the quotas were designed to benefit domestic firms and encourage foreign investment.

On January 15, the free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia and Japan came into effect. The agreement provides substantial tariff cuts, set to grant over 97 percent of Australian exports preferential or duty-free access to Japan.

DELHI – Mit dem Amtsantritt von Narendra Modi als Premierminister drängen indische Unternehmen und ausländische Investoren auf die Neugestaltung von mehreren Bestimmungen des Companies Act 2013. Letztes Jahr wurde das Firmengesetz 1956 durch das Firmengesetz 2013 abgelöst, was neue Regulierungen für Unternehmensgründungen, Verantwortlichkeiten in Unternehmen und den Auflösungsprozess mit sich brachte. Die neue Version des […]