Southeast Asia

Forest City fallout: Malaysia’s Anwar, tycoons urged to ‘walk back threats’ over casino report

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Gambling is considered taboo across Malaysia’s multicultural society – especially among the ethnic Malay majority, who are predominantly Muslim and legally barred from engaging in any form of betting. Yet Malaysians are also prolific gamblers, with the country’s nationals regularly appearing at gaming tables elsewhere in Asia. Berjaya Corp, which owns Malaysia’s largest lottery business, … Read more

‘We need free air con’: Philippines suspends in-person classes due to heatwave, jeepney strike

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“In view of the latest heat index forecast … and the announcement of a nationwide transport strike, all public schools nationwide shall implement asynchronous classes/distance learning on April 29 and 30, 2024,” the department said on Facebook. The education department oversees more than 47,000 schools across the archipelago nation. Some jeepney drivers also plan to … Read more

Forget Macau’s junket launderers, dirty Chinese cash has a new home: Southeast Asia’s casino scam hubs

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“The former gambling junkets in Macau have been decimated. In their place, illicit gambling syndicates are resorting to using poorly regulated online gambling activities in Vietnam, and clearing systems in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. The Philippines is huge for illicit online gambling.” In recent years, Southeast Asia’s casino industry has experienced exponential growth, … Read more

Opinion | Southeast Asia’s heatwaves threaten food security. How can nations adapt?

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A grim record-breaking milestone was reached in 2023, as it was identified as the hottest year in recorded history. Regrettably, the trend continues into 2024, as evidenced by the alarming data for March: global temperatures have surged to unprecedented levels, surpassing those of previous decades by 0.73 degrees Celsius, and notably exceeding the pre-industrial benchmark … Read more

Opinion | Japan’s latest military gamble reflects a changing security landscape

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At the same time, it has been working towards increasing its defence budget to 2 per cent of its gross domestic product by 2027, which will potentially make it the third biggest defence spender in the world after the United States and China. In addition, back in 2015, when Shinzo Abe was Japanese prime minister, … Read more

Charles Li’s Micro Connect pushes unique financing model in Southeast Asia

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Charles Li Xiaojia, former head of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, pitched his new venture that finances small businesses and takes a cut of daily revenue at the Money20/20 Asia conference in Bangkok, as the company pushes the model outside China. Micro Connect could be ready to launch the model in Southeast Asia as early … Read more

China is running a full-court press for global arbitration clients. What’s the verdict so far?

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Victories like Huo’s are highly sought after by Chinese enterprises operating overseas, with demand for international commercial arbitration growing concurrently with their activities abroad. A single legal dispute could ruin your entire deal … Your reputation in the overseas market or your entire investment could be lostJoey Zhou China, a latecomer to the arbitration arena, … Read more

Green data centers help increase green investment in Southeast Asia: Report

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Conceptual image of green server room. Imaginima | Istock | Getty Images Southeast Asia saw a significant uptick in green investments in 2023, with a boost from green data center projects, though funding remains insufficient, according to a report released Monday.  The analysis, conducted by Bain & Company, GenZero, Standard Chartered and Temasek, found that … Read more

Opinion | How China can help change the game for clean energy in Southeast Asia

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Although opinions vary on the scale and scope of the required investment, there is a wide consensus that the investment needed for the progress of the region’s energy transition is substantial, far exceeding what the public sector can provide, despite traditionally being the main source of funding. From 2016 to 2020, a total investment of … Read more

China needs new strategy to counter US moves on global trade, analysts say

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Washington’s efforts to divert international supply chains from China are already making enough of an impact to drive recommendations for a new game plan from analysts and manufacturers, in their view an essential step to counter a fragmentation of trade that is already under way – and likely to worsen in the coming years. “The … Read more