JAKARTA — Indonesia has once again become Southeast Asia’s COVID-19 hot spot, overtaking Singapore in terms of cumulative cases on Wednesday. The region’s biggest economy reported an additional 1,031 infections, bringing its total to 41,431, while Singapore saw its figure rise to 41,216. Indonesia has seen an average of around […]
Southeast
Rohm eyes Japan reshoring from China and Southeast Asia
TOKYO/KYOTO — Japanese components makers are considering bringing more of the manufacturing process back home as factory automation reduces costs and pandemic-induced plant shutdowns abroad prompt them to rethink supply chains. Chipmaker Rohm has developed a production line that automates the labor-intensive back-end of semiconductor fabrication. The company will try out the […]
Southeast Asia exports buoyed by medicine and food during pandemic
SINGAPORE — Exports out of Southeast Asian trade hubs Singapore and Thailand have stayed strong even as the novel coronavirus pandemic slows economies around the world, thanks to robust global demand for such essentials as medicine and food. Singapore’s exports, excluding oil, rose 9.7% on the year in April, up for the […]
Southeast Asia leans on new taxes to plug coronavirus shortfalls
MANILA — Southeast Asian countries have turned to new and higher taxes to offset falling government revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic, walking a fine line between securing funding and further straining economies. The pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the Southeast Asian economy, squeezing government revenues across the region. The Philippines, […]
Dengue complicates Southeast Asia’s coronavirus fight
JAKARTA — Southeast Asian countries are bracing for possible outbreaks of infectious diseases that show symptoms similar to those of the novel coronavirus ahead of the rainy season. Treatments for these seasonal infections are very different from those for COVID-19, complicating the work of front-line medical workers. As of May 8, there […]
Southeast Asia’s shift to renewables a blow to Japan’s plant builders
MANILA/TOKYO — Philippine conglomerate Ayala plans to exit coal-fired power generation by the end of the decade, becoming the first major power company in Southeast Asia to quit the fossil fuel. The move by Ayala’s energy unit reflects a broader shift in the region toward renewable energy, whose cost is […]
Virus testing gap proves critical in Southeast Asia and India
TOKYO/HANOI — A speedy rollout of mass testing for the coronavirus appears to be a crucial yardstick in determining the human and economic toll inflicted on various Asian countries by the pandemic. Vietnam, which reacted quickly, has reported just 288 cases so far, with no deaths. But fatalities have topped 2,000 in […]
Egypt-born minibus-share Swvl to debut in Southeast Asia
CAIRO — A new type of ride-hailer that has taken over the streets of Cairo is rolling into Southeast Asia, a fiercely competitive market long dominated by local giants like Grab and Gojek. Swvl, established in Egypt three years ago, offers shared rides on the startup’s minibuses, with an app providing a list of destinations and […]
Southeast Asian auto sales sink 40% for largest drop in a decade
BANGKOK — New-vehicle sales in Southeast Asia plummeted 40% on the year in March, the biggest monthly drop-off in the past decade, data compiled by Nikkei finds. Automakers sold only 196,802 vehicles in six of the region’s leading markets that month as the coronavirus pandemic undercut both demand and consumer outings. […]
Southeast Asia rail projects stall as China focuses on recovery
BANGKOK/BEIJING — As Asia focuses its resources on containing the coronavirus outbreak and its economic impact, large infrastructure projects funded by China have come to a standstill across Southeast Asia. Construction on a roughly 140-km high-speed rail link between Jakarta and the Indonesian provincial capital Bandung recently came to a […]