The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted, in many states, the need to improve technological and digital systems, in order not to leave behind the most disadvantaged classes who still live in technological isolation. The Singaporean government, for example, will set up a new Committee for digital transformation, focusing mainly on the business and education world. The ASEAN Post explains why digital inclusion will be one of the main challenges of the future.

Differently from some countries that have huge domestic markets, Japan needs to sell its products massively outside its borders. In this context, ASEAN, with a potential catchment area of over 650 million consumers, is a real gold mine for Japanese exports. Nikkei Asian Review describes the case of the Japanese eyewear company Owndays, which aims to target young consumers in Southeast Asia.

This paper reviews the performance of ASEAN countries over the two decades since the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, as well as the countries’ vulnerabilities to the U.S.-China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic.

ING has added another first to its growing portfolio of sustainable finance deals in Asia-Pacific by issuing a $75 million loan to Singapore-based Cleantech Solar. This is the largest green loan in Asia Pacific to date in the commercial and industrial (C&I) renewables sector.

Japan views Asean as a potential strategic partner in the crisis-proofing of its economy, whose vulnerabilities such as an over-reliance on Chinese imports and domestic manufacturing were exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic and past natural disasters.

The pandemic has strongly affected all countries in the region, stopping the steady growth trajectory of recent years. However, according to several experts, if the virus should slow down, South East Asia could return to growth as early as the end of 2020. The Japan Centre for Economic Research describes the impact of the coronavirus on the ASEAN region, with a focus on new trends such as the growth of the digital sector.

Twenty young leaders from across ASEAN Member States (AMS) met virtually with ASEAN Leaders at the sidelines of the 36th ASEAN Summit held on 26 June. The ASEAN Youth Interface with ASEAN Leaders 2020 gave youth representatives a platform to speak with ASEAN Heads of States and Governments to advocate important youth issues such as volunteerism, entrepreneurship and skills development for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

BEST Inc., a leading supply chain service provider headquartered in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, announced that it has launched logistics services in Malaysia, Cambodia, and Singapore. The company plans to build 400 express delivery stations and 12 transshipment centers in three years in the three countries.

Despite effective management of the health emergency and good macroeconomic resilience, the pandemic dealt a severe blow to many Vietnamese workers. According to data released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, more than 30 million workers in Vietnam were affected by the pandemic-induced crisis.

The Vietnamese economy grew unexpectedly in the second quarter of this year, despite the impact of the pandemic that caused a global recession. According to data released by the General Statistics Office in Hanoi, Vietnam's GDP increased by 0.36% in April-June, compared to the same period last year. Once again the Vietnamese economy is proving to be resilient and dynamic.

Last 8th June, the National Assembly of Vietnam almost unanimously ratified the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Italy, Hanoi's fourth largest EU partner and ninth EU direct investor in the country, will be particularly affected by the effects of the agreement

The coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe looks to have done little, at least in Laos, to slow China's grand plans for a high-speed rail line linking its landlocked interior to the bustling ports of Singapore through mainland Southeast Asia.