Southeast Asia seen as best investment destination this year, poll shows
- A poll at the Asian Financial Forum on Monday showed 39 per cent believe Southeast Asia has best investment prospects this year
- Companies shifting production out of China seen as fuelling boom in countries such as Vietnam
Southeast Asia has eclipsed China as the region most likely to produce the best investment returns, as the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing puts a chill on the world’s second-largest economy, according to a survey at the Asian Financial Forum 2019.
About 39 per cent of respondents viewed Southeast Asia as having the best investment returns, while 35 per cent voted for China and 16 per cent for the US. The vote took place during the panel discussion “Global investment in the new economy” in Hong Kong.
However, last year about 55 per cent of respondents to a similar survey at the forum said China would offer the best investment returns in 2018.
Figures showing the number of respondents to this year’s survey were not made available.
Vietnam was another hotspot identified in a recent poll of chief executives at Asia-Pacific companies by PwC.
“We surveyed CEOs across the region where they wanted to put their money in the next 12 months. For two years in a row, Vietnam has come out on top. This has much to do with what is happening around the world, and that some CEOs are making adjustments to their supply chain in response to the current environment,” said Raymond Chao, Asia-Pacific and Greater China chairman at PwC, referring to the ongoing trade war between the US and China.
