Economics

A McDonald’s restaurant in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

McDonald’s franchisee, BDS Malaysia seek mediation over boycott movement

McDonald’s Malaysia claims BDS Malaysia slandered its business and implied it had profited from the assault on Palestinians and conspired with Israel.

18 Mar 2024 - 5:00PM
An aerial view of Sihanoukville. The city has become known as a hub for scam operations over the past few years. Photo: Shutterstock

Why Chinese scammers may still be running Cambodia’s ‘sin city’ amid crackdowns

Observers say to truly extinguish the criminal operations, Cambodian officials must go after ‘key figures’ protecting the industry dominated by Chinese scam gangs.

18 Mar 2024 - 6:47PM
A Filipino activist yells during a protest in Manila on International Women’s Day earlier this month. Photo: Reuters

In Philippines, alarm over mail-order bride scheme that trafficks women to China

Filipino women escorted by Chinese nationals posing as their husbands have been intercepted at the border, immigration officials say. Anti-trafficking experts suspect organised crime groups are involved.

18 Mar 2024 - 2:13PM
A worker arranges packaged fish crackers at a store in Terengganu. Ordinary Malaysians have been hit by the ringgit’s drop in value, as the cost of shopping surges with each depreciation. Photo: Bloomberg

As Malaysians feel the pinch from the ‘shringgit’, what can PM Anwar do?

Analysts blame structural problems for the plunge and say PM Anwar needs to make long-term economic reforms – and find the political support for these measures.

17 Mar 2024 - 2:28PM
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with the leaders of (from left) Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Indonesia at the 2024 Asean-Australia Special Summit on March 5. Photo: dpa

What’s behind Australian investors’ reluctance to venture into Southeast Asia?

A lack of risk appetite for developing markets and different ways of doing business are among the factors holding back Australian investors, experts say.

16 Mar 2024 - 9:30AM
Workers sew at a workshop of a garment company in Zunhua, north China’s Hebei Province. Photo: Xinhua

Asian garment makers wear sustainability hats as fast fashion no longer in vogue

Despite higher cost, manufacturers are turning to regenerative farming practices that aim to leave the land in a better condition than the previous cycle.

15 Mar 2024 - 7:30PM
South Korea’s home-grown space rocket Nuri lifts off from Naro Space Center on May 25, 2023. File photo: YNA/dpa

Can South Korea’s star shine on global stage as it seeks to join space race?

South Korea is set to build an aerospace hub to house some 1,000 firms to tap on the sector’s ‘limitless opportunities and a huge market’.

15 Mar 2024 - 5:00PM
A migrant worker collects bunches of palm oil fresh fruit in Selangor in June 2022. Photo: Reuters

Malaysians deride fancy work title for palm oil jobs: ‘the pay must be worth it’

A minister has been ridiculed for his suggestion that marketing palm oil plantation workers as ‘professional harvesters’ could help solve chronic labour shortages.

15 Mar 2024 - 4:36PM
A Kuala Lumpur vendor displays a variety of dates ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, on July 31, 2011. Photo: AFP

‘Brands that fatten them up’: Israeli dates under Muslim boycott in Southeast Asia

Chat groups are warning Muslims to be alert when buying dates – a sweet fruit eaten to break fast during Ramadan – after some were repackaged in Malaysia to hide their origin.

15 Mar 2024 - 10:44PM
Economists estimate Taylor Swift’s shows would add around US$225 million to Singapore’s GDP in the first quarter. Photo: AFP

Indonesia keen to work with Singapore on staging big gigs after Swift success

After seeing how Taylor Swift enchanted fans in six sold-out concerts, Indonesia has a long list of plans to attract A-list stars to its shores.

14 Mar 2024 - 5:29PM
Police work at the site of a damaged building in Port Moresby on January 12 following deadly riots in Papua New Guinea’s capital. Photo: AFP

Japan may be making its biggest security move in the Pacific Islands since WWII

Talks on March 19 are expected to involve Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and police taking part in local and regional responses as well as training.

13 Mar 2024 - 2:22PM
Uniqlo first arrived in India in 2019. Today, it has 13 stores across the country. Photo: AFP

Why are Japanese brands taking young Indians by storm?

A new wave of mid-range retailers is capitalising on Japan’s reputation for quality goods, winning millennial and Gen Z fans seeking ‘practical, functional’ items.

12 Mar 2024 - 2:37PM
Construction workers in Kuala Lumpur. Migrant workers have been instrumental in the rapid growth of Malaysia’s gleaming skyscrapers and infrastructure projects. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysia to slash migrant workforce amid vitriol, Bangladeshi job scam crisis

Rights groups allege tens of thousands of Bangladeshis have been tricked into coming to Malaysia over non-existent jobs and now face further exploitation.

11 Mar 2024 - 6:50PM
Farmers harvest paddy rice stalks in a farm land in Kalasin province, Thailand, on November 21, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg

Asia’s rice production hit by ‘very aggressive’ weedy varieties

Some farming methods used to fight the menace such as growing herbicide-tolerant rice varieties have failed to curb the weedy rice invasion.

11 Mar 2024 - 12:28PM
Chinese tourists pose for a group photo at a museum in Samut Prakan, Thailand, on March 1. Photo: Xinhua

‘Definitely stronger’: why 2024 could be Southeast Asia’s year for tourism

Arrival numbers are still way down on pre-pandemic levels, but there are some bright spots on the horizon – as industry insiders ponder who the ‘new’ type of Chinese traveller will be.

11 Mar 2024 - 12:54PM
A food vendor waits for customers at a market in Depok on Wednesday. Indonesia is facing economic headwinds including high food inflation, a depreciating currency and declining commodities prices. Photo: EPA-EFE

Prabowo’s ‘delusional’ growth target could be costly for Indonesia: economists

Presumptive president-elect Prabowo Subianto projects 8 per cent growth for Indonesia in the next five years, at a time when the country is facing economic headwinds.

10 Mar 2024 - 12:00PM
Boats sail along a river in Osaka, Japan during the Tenjin Festival on July 25, 2023, with fireworks lighting up the night sky. Photo: Kyodo

Japan’s Osaka weighs new visitor tax in bid to boost tourism sector

Osaka currently imposes an accommodation tax and plans to set up a panel to consider the new levy, which could be introduced in 2025.

9 Mar 2024 - 6:00PM
Women across Asia are challenging bias to carve out entrepreneurial success. Photo: Shutterstock

How Asian women are challenging bias to carve out entrepreneurial success

Funding woes, work-life balance and prejudice remain hurdles for women entrepreneurs, who say having supportive business partners and spouses can be half the battle won.

14 Mar 2024 - 3:37PM
A woman walks past a mural in Tokyo. Japan has the most pronounced gender gap among the OECD countries, a World Bank study has shown. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

Japan’s gender gap the widest among OECD countries, World Bank study shows

Japan is ranked 73rd out of 190 countries surveyed in an assessment of equality between genders, below the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Nepal and Lesotho.

8 Mar 2024 - 8:00AM
The skyline of Kuala Lumpur. Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said last May that the Malaysian government plans to make the capital a regional hub for start-up companies. Photo: Bloomberg

Is Malaysia set to become a start-up hub that can compete with Singapore?

Malaysia has announced a goal to create five domestic US$1 billion ‘unicorns’ by 2025 as part of its plan to become a global start-up hub.

9 Mar 2024 - 1:51AM