Business Asia articles from August 2000

Business Asia archives from August 2000

TRUST ... OR JUST TIMIDITY?(China and North Korea seek peace)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... A SMILING North Korea and polite China at a key Asian diplomatic meeting late last month were signs to some that peace is upon the region, but others fear too many hard issues are being swept under the carpet for the sake of show. The...

Tsang upbeat.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... HONG KONG has been receiving bad press for being politically and economically moribund in recent times, but Financial Secretary Donald Tsang painted a bright picture on his recent visit to Australia. Visiting Sydney and Melbourne, Tsang said he...

[WORD OF MOUTH].(Violence in Malaysia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... "There was no exchange of fire. We believe they (the criminals) fired on their own, just to shoot. Maybe they wanted to familiarise themselves with their arsenal." -- MALAYSIAN POLICE CHIEF TAN SRI NORIAN MAI, DENYING THAT SECURITY FORCES...

STOP PRESS.(North Korea's economic status)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... WINNERS Our vote goes to North Korea as the big winner of 2000. Yes, we know it's only August, but consider the following. North Korea is broke. North Korea can't feed itself. North Korea's infrastructure is pitiful. North Korea can't...

Indian IT goes global.(India excels in software engineering and fiction written in English)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... We know India's IT specialists are good, but why are they so good - -and so prolific. INDIA EXCELS in the two great means of global communication -- the English language and computer programs. Indian software writers and Indian writers...

Wipro's rise spawns millionaires.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... AMALNER, a small city about 400km northwest of Mumbai, has much for which to thank Wipro Ltd. Most Indian maps don't recognise the town, in which 80,000 people tolerate mud paths, loitering cows and a crowded bazaar lined with shops...

THE HOTMAIL HERO.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... OF INDIA'S many heroes of the information age, Sabeer Bhatia's fairytale story stands out. In 1988, Bhatia left home for America with a couple of hundred dollars in his pocket. When the boy from Bangalore sold Hotmail -- the...

Stunning by any measure!(Le Royal Meridien Hotel in Bankok)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... There is one `must see' new hotel in Bangkok and not just for its location, shopping, nightlife or attractions. The 381 room Le Royal Meridien, with its captivating dramatic design, is a bold confident statement for Meridien's growing ultra...

Risky business.(Hong Kong investments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Should you invest in a country, or a sector? NICK EDWARDS reports from Hong Kong on a critical dilemma facing fund managers in Asia GLOBALISATION AND the burgeoning "new economy" have sent interest soaring in sectoral investing, but country...

Asia's `double-edged sword'.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... WITH THE return of economic growth in Asia, medium- to long-term investment in the region appears to be increasing, according to Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, Australia's export credit agency. Angus Armour, EFIC general manager...

`NAIVE' SMEs URGED TO ASSESS PAYMENT RISKS.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... WESTPAC IS urging new exporters to properly assess the buyer, country and currency risks associated with trade with Asia to reduce the likelihood of contract and payment defaults. "New small- to medium-sized exporters (SMEs) particularly in...

Not just a pipedream.(Broadband will change Asia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Broadband technology could change life as we know it in Asia. RENE A. MALLARI reports from Manila IN ECONOMIC powerhouses such as Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, there are more mobile phone subscribers than traditional wired customers....

Airfares ... up, up & away.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... You may be in for a nasty surprise if you are booking business travel tickets across the Asia-Pacific region. Prices are on the rise in all countries IF YOU are planning to catch a plane from an Asia-Pacific country, be prepared to loosen...

Back in business.(Airfares to Asia high)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The dealmakers are out in force in Asia again -- and the rise in business class traffic suggests that they are travelling the region in style HIGHER AIRFARES will cause business travel to drop off. Right? Well, apparently not. It...

QANTAS LIFTS STAKES IN MALAYSIA.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... LEADING AUSTRALIAN carrier Qantas and its Malaysian counterpart appear likely to form an alliance that aims to turn the new Kuala Lumpur international airport into a regional hub. As Business Asia went to press, Qantas declined to comment...

Final countdown.(Best hotels in Asia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... THOUSANDS OF votes are in -- and within weeks the best of Asia's elite hotels will be rewarded at the Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards. The awards, jointly organised by Business Asia and Bloomberg Television, are now in their final...

Insuring your web future.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... A successful internet business strategy means more than setting up a web page as a store front. Customers want a "complete experience" THIS IS the first of a series of question-and-answer columns examining successful business strategies....

FROZEN FUEL A HOT EXPORT PROSPECT.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Australia has vast supplies of liquefied natural gas -- and Asian markets need it. JOHN SHAW reports on a huge export opportunity AUSTRALIA IS putting its foot on the gas in its drive for the multi-billion dollar Asian market for LNG. ...

SPEED RULES IN THE NEW IT RACE.(information technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... BEN VERWAAYN(*) examines the growth of the internet -- and rolls out some impressive numbers to underline its contagion-like spread NOW, MORE than any other time in history, we have the means to harness information to create enormous...

LOW TAX ADDS UP TO GOOD DEAL.(Asia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The tax advantages of working in Asia are too tempting for many Australian executives. HONG KONG, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries in the Asian region offer outstanding career opportunities for executives who want to advance their...

THE JET SET.(Booking services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... A NEW Chinese internet travel booking service has been launched. Ctrip.com, a leading online travel agency in China, is now available on Chinese internet portal SOHU.com. Ctrip.com has opened a booking centre on SOHU Travel for international...

THE BEAUTY BUSINESS.(Beauty contests big in India)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... BEAUTY IS proving to be quite a business in India. A host of Indian beauty contest entrants have been successful in recent years in major world competitions -- and the latest is Miss India Lara Dutta, who was crowned Miss Universe 2000. ...

ASIA'S TOP 50 COMPANIES BY MARKET CAPITALISATION(*).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... RANK COMPANY COUNTRY INDUSTRY 1 HSBC Holdings Hong Kong Finance 2 China Mobile (HK) Hong Kong Telecoms 3 Hutchison Whampoa Hong Kong Retail ...

BREAKING DOWN JAPAN'S `OLD GUARD'.(Communists lose seats in Japan)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2000... Our special commentator TAURUS(*) says changes are finally in the wind following the recent Japanese elections IT WILL be recorded as a footnote that the Communist Party of Japan suffered a 20 per cent reduction in its seat numbers in the...