Economy and commerce
Thailand assumes Asean chairmanship
Thailand is expected to push Asean to finalise the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the South China Sea code of conduct as it assumes the bloc’s chairmanship. Although the handover ceremony will take place later today, with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee ...
Kornchanok Raksaseri
SMEs' bad loans creep up
Commercial banks’ non-performing (NPL) and special mention loans (SMs) for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), automobiles and credit cards at the end of September ticked up from the previous three months, resulting in a higher potential for more soured loans. Keep reading ...
Somruedi Banchongduang
PM Prayut vows to push for greater ASEAN connectivity
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today pledged to push for greater connectivity to strengthen business and investments in ASEAN when Thailand assumes the chairmanship of the regional grouping next year.Speaking at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Singapore, Gen Prayut said as chairman of ASEAN ...
A low-key meeting in 1991 gave rise to the ASEAN Free Trade Area
To this day, when Thai schoolchildren learn by rote the main achievements of their past prime ministers, they are taught that Anand Panyarachun was responsible for the creation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Free Trade Area (AFTA). What this might mean to them ...
Dominic Faulder
China economic ties gain boost
Thailand is seeking to further flesh out its strategic economic cooperation with China by promoting another layer of ties built on direct connections with some Chinese provinces.After meeting China’s State Councillor Wang Yong in Beijing on Wednesday (Nov,7 ), Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak revealed ...
The Nation Reporter
Thai-China trade pact signed
Thailand is moving ahead with plans to upgrade economic cooperation with China, agreeing Wednesday (Nov, 7) to the comprehensive framework on enhancing trade and economic partnership between the two nations and aiming to double bilateral trade to UScopy40 billion (4.59 trillion baht) by 2021.Keep reading ...
Phusadee Arunmas
Thailand runs ahead of the digital game with rapidly evolving infrastructure and digital ecosystem
Digital industry is a significant driver of Thailand’s economic transformation strategy, as the country has been moving beyond capturing the global digital evolution for years. With the Thai government’s supportive Thailand 4.0 policy on national infrastructure improvement, extensive efforts to develop a complete ecosystem to ...
Cabinet adjusts smart visa criteria in support of industrial development
The Cabinet has made changes to the criteria and benefits of the smart visa program in a bid to facilitate foreign academics who come to share their knowledge with Thai industrial personnel. Following the weekly Cabinet meeting, Government Spokesperson Puttipong Punnakanta announced that approval was ...
Surapan Laotharanarit
Myanmar looks East
The government of Myanmar has launched a major investment drive centred on Asian countries in the face of declining interest from the West. “We must be proactive and seek the sort of investment that is good for the country,” Thaung Tun, head of the Myanmar ...