Much to reap from Singapore's recent Asean chairmanship
SINGAPORE may have handed over the baton of Asean chairmanship to Thailand this year, but that does not mean that attention to the region should wane.
Apart from the obvious fact that Asean's journey is a long and continuing one, the neighbourhood provides bright spots of resilience amid global uncertainty, while firms can also look to capitalise on advances made during Singapore's chairmanship term.
Although analysts expect Asean's growth to slow slightly this year - with forecasts generally in the region of 5 per cent, down from an estimated 5.3 per cent in 2018 - that rate of growth is nothing to sniff at. Countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines are also expected to outperform despite the subdued global environment, with accelerating growth in 2019. And while there are, famously, no winners in a trade war, some markets in South-east Asia do stand to gain from the trade spat between the United Sta…
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Columns
‘Competition for talent’ a poor excuse to keep key executives’ pay under wraps
Why a stronger US dollar is dangerous
An overstimulated US economy is asking for trouble
Too many property agents? Cap commissions on home sales
Time to study broadening of private market access
Far from thawing, the US-China economic war could see a new front opening up