The government is planning to work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to promote the development of the aviation industry, according to informed sources.

The Asian economy in the new year will be marked by 5G networks in Southeast Asia lifting the earnings of top telecommunications suppliers, according to outlooks by regional market analysts.

On the surface, digital banking may not seem like much of a growth market for startup companies. Big traditional banks rolled out online services years ago. Today their mobile apps reside on untold millions of customers’ screens, probably including yours.

Australia and the U.S. are both providing infrastructure investments in ASEAN, sometimes in direct competition with each other.

Terrorism in Southeast Asia has long been a threat. Previously, the spectre of terrorism haunted the region via threats of physical violence, from bombings to kidnappings. However, in the current internet age, terrorism has found new ways to attack its targets. Cyberterrorism in the region has been a growing concern and experts have called out ASEAN’s slow response to it.

With the telecom industry growing at 6-12 percent annually, faster than the GDP growth rates of many Asian developing economies, the industry is a “prime contributor” to economic development in the five countries, said Hans Martin Hoegh Henrichsen, Telenor Myanmar’s chief corporate affairs officer.

Vietnam has approved an amended Labor Code which will come into effect in January 2021. The amendment to the labor regulations are a step towards aligning with international labor standards particularly as Vietnam integrates into the world economy as noted by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

There is clear potential upside for Malaysia as a key destination for high value-added foreign direct investments (FDI) when looking beyond the ongoing US-China trade tensions. Citi’s head of corporate banking Asia Pacific Gerry Keefe and within ASEAN, the country is among the top in relocation opportunities for supply chain shifts besides Vietnam and Thailand, adding there is also an upward trend in accelerating investment flows to grow local presence.

As Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020, Vietnam will be responsible for promoting and increasing ASEAN’s interests and prosperity, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung has said.

Venture capital funding pouring into Vietnamese fintech companies accounted for 36 percent of the total fintech investment in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines' auto industry appears to be coming into its own thanks to government support, with Toyota Motor and Mitsubishi Motors using a majority of locally supplied parts when assembling flagship models in the Southeast Asian nation.

Thailand looks poised to improve free trade agreements under the Asean framework next year, aiming to extend tariff cuts to cover more products, particularly sensitive items.

The Republic climbed five spots to become the 13th most expensive city in the world for expatriates. It also rose two places in Asian rankings to become the seventh most costly location in the continent.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, currently Asia’s longest-serving ruler, faces no tangible political competition.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four Myanmar military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, in the toughest action taken yet by Washington for alleged human rights abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities.

Vietnam, widely regarded as one of the US-China trade war’s biggest winners, is stepping up efforts to prevent US-bound China-made goods from being transported through its territory to dodge US tariffs.

As a major regional investor and security partner, Tokyo is stepping up

A series of initiatives organized by prominent members of Italy’s elite has developed new links with ASEAN states. The first and best example in this regard is the “Italy-ASEAN Association,” established in 2015 thanks to the initiative of prominent members of the Italian political, academic, diplomatic, and business communities.

ASEAN should have begun to crack and fall apart from the strain of the rising geopolitical rivalries in Asia between the United States and China, if what critics say about its fragility were true. But ASEAN steadily marched through another difficult and challenging year and quietly delivered many positive results that will improve the wellbeing of its 650 million people.

E’ vero che non è stato un grande anno per il libero scambio, ma i colloqui al vertice ASEAN di Bangkok potrebbero portare a un accordo per creare il più grande blocco commerciale del mondo. I leader di 16 paesi dell’area Asia-Pacifico si riuniranno per gli sciogliere gli ultimi nodi sul Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.