Business Asia articles from November 1998

Business Asia archives from November 1998

ASEAN mulls policy switch.
November 2, 1998... Hard line on trade an option South East Asian nations may be forced to adopt more "binding" intra-regional trade policies to aid recovery from the current financial crisis, according to a senior ASEAN official. Mr Rodolfo C. Severino,...

Riady tries to woo investors.(James Riady, special envoy from Indonesia)
November 2, 1998... Indonesia's "Ambassador for Optimism", Mr James Riady, painted a positive picture to business and political leaders on his recent hard-sell visit to Australia. Mr Riady, 42, Australian-educated deputy chairman of his family's multinational...

ASEAN bankers eager for aid.
November 2, 1998... Private bankers in South East Asia have urged regional governments to quickly tap Japan's US$30 billion aid plan and to promote sound economic policies to help weather the region's financial crisis. "While we could choose to wait, a...

ASIA FACT FILE.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 1998... True believers This week's Asia Fact File examines the religious make-up of nations in the Asia-Pacific region. AUSTRALIA Anglican 26.1% Roman Catholic 26%...

CEOs upbeat about future: Survey.
November 2, 1998... Chief executive officers throughout the region remain optimistic that their businesses will experience growth despite current financial problems, according to a new survey. And, most say, Asia itself is where the opportunity for growth is...

HIGH FLYERS.(Asian airlines)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 1998... Competitive Rankings for Selected Asian Airlines 1 = Lowest, 5 = Highest Regional Competitive Airports Route Economic Environment Structure Growth ...

IN BRIEF.
November 2, 1998... * Jakarta - The World Bank's private-sector investment arm has agreed to invest US$2.5 million in an Indonesian firm and lend it a further US$11.5 million, its first Indonesian investment since the country's economic crisis began. The Jakarta...

Let's build a better Singapore.
November 2, 1998... Singapore Prime Minister GOH CHOK TONG(*) analyses aspects of the Asian crisis and how Singapore can act to limit the effects of such turmoil We are in for some very tough times. The currency crisis started in Thailand in July last year....

Though times, but Singapore sticks to blueprint.
November 2, 1998... For years, Singapore has drawn foreign companies and investors because of its excellent infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, pro-business attitude and reputation as the leading business and financial hub in South East Asia, As the...

Investors still drawn to safe-haven nation.(Singapore)
November 2, 1998... Innovation and skilled workers vital for growth Singapore's longstanding reputation as a safe and profitable business location means it is well placed to withstand a downturn in investment stemming from Asia's financial crisis Even...

Broadband network delivers advantages.
November 2, 1998... 100 times faster than analog modem dial-up During a recent visit to Singapore, Microsoft chairman Mr Bill Gates declared that among all the countries of the world, "Singapore is the leader in developing the infrastructure for what I call...

AHEAD OF THE PACK.(global competitiveness)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 1998... Global Competitiveness Report Competiveness Rank Rank Rank Country Index 1998 1998 1997 1996 Singapore 2.16 1 1 1 Hong Kong 1.91 2 2 2...

Exports up, trade down.(Singapore)
November 2, 1998... Singapore's key September non-oil domestic exports chalked up a 1.7 per cent gain year-on-year to S$8.59 billion (US$5.2 billion) against economists' predictions of a decline of 2.7 per cent. "As in preceding months, the sluggish...

Banks still in good shape.(Singapore)
November 2, 1998... Room for two financial centres The next five years will see further liberalisation of the banking sector in Singapore as the island state combats Asia's financial crisis and prepares for the 21st Century Singapore's successful banks...

Expo center in a league of its own.(Singapore)
November 2, 1998... Singapore will firmly cement its entry into the super league of convention cities next March when a huge new exhibition centre called Singapore Expo opens its doors. With 60,000 square metres allocated for phase one and an additional...

Electronics firms get more selective.(Singapore)
November 2, 1998... Singapore not spared from crisis Singapore's electronics companies are zeroing in on business areas that show the greatest potential for growth. As Singapore's largest non-oil export, electronics accounted for roughly S$63 billion...

Telecoms a draw for foreign firms.
November 2, 1998... First-class telecommunications is usually a top priority for multinational companies expanding into a new market. This is one reason that so many of them have established their regional headquarters in Singapore over the past 20 years. ...

Firms ride out Malaysian controls.
November 2, 1998... Singapore firms doing business in Malaysia have not been badly affected by its stringent currency controls, reports indicate. Multinationals and Singapore firms with operations in Malaysia said they were little affected as goods they...

Science `hub' to help offset Asian crisis.
November 2, 1998... Singapore believes its development as a regional scientific hub is now even more critical because of the negative effects of Asia's financial crisis Near Singapore's urban centre is one of the island's few remaining areas of colonial-style...

Goh pitches pro-market policies.
November 2, 1998... Singapore, which has stayed adamantly pro-market while other Asian countries have acted to protect their battered economies, is plugging its policies in a bid to win favour with investors. And it appears to be working. "The steely calm...

Ailing Asia will soon be up and running.
November 2, 1998... Following are excerpts of an address by LEE YOCK SUAN, Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry, at the recent Australian Summit in Melbourne Asia's financial crisis has been thoroughly analysed, although experts will continue to...

Free markets key to revival.(telecommunications, Asia)
November 2, 1998... Deregulation of Asian telecommunications markets could play a key role in attracting investment back into the troubled region, according to a leading telecom company. Ms Beth Jackson, appointed to EQUANT's newly created position of...

Lucent sees hope amid the turmoil.
November 2, 1998... Despite Asia's troubled financial climate, Brunei, China, the Philippines and Taiwan have been major growth areas for Lucent Technologies over the past 12 months. Lucent is a US$26.4 billion company with about 130,000 employees worldwide....

Multi-utilities likely to pay dividends.(merging of telecommunications and utilities)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 1998... In telecommunications, "convergence" has typically referred to either the loss of distinction between fixed and mobile telephony or the blurring of boundaries with computing, television and other electronic media. Now, there is another...

Telstra ups the ante in developed areas.
November 2, 1998... Under a revised international strategy, Telstra is aiming to establish a stronger presence in developed Asia-Pacific countries while maintaining activities in developing areas. The corporation's national general manager of global sales and...

NEC secures defence deal.
November 2, 1998... NEC has signed a A$25 million contract with Optus to provide Australia's Department of Defence with a secure Defence Mobile Communications Network (DMCN). The project is the second and final phase of a plan to give the department a mobile...

Firms ignore `bug' threat.(millennium bug, Japan)
November 2, 1998... Tokyo--Hundreds of Japan's small and medium-sized companies have taken no action to address the millennium problem threatening their computers, a Japanese government survey shows. A national survey of 2026 small and medium-sized companies,...

Coal sector feels Asian heat.
November 2, 1998... The full impact of Asia's economic crisis is about to strike Australia's struggling A$10 billion a year coal export industry, with price cuts of 20 per cent or more now looming for 1999-2000 contracts. Producers, caught on a treadmill of...

Jakarta eases access to banks.(includes other items)
November 2, 1998... Jakarta eases access to banks * Jakarta--The Indonesian Government is now allowing foreigners to hold a 100 per cent stake in the country's commercial banks to speed up economic recovery, Bank Indonesia Governor Mr Sjahril Sabirin said. He...

Financial problems' spur securitisation.
November 2, 1998... Financial problems in Asia are acting as a spur to Australia's securitisation market, according to Mr Stephen Gustafson, head of the Australian arm of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Global Securitisation Group. Mr Gustafson said the Asian...

How the West misjudged Asia.
November 2, 1998... Western economic analysts horribly misjudged Asia's economic development and continue to take a myopic view of the region, according to Professor MAURICE DALY(*). He also offers a word of warning about China In analysing Asia, a problem in...

Jakarta's lament: a stronger rupiah.
November 2, 1998... Crisis-ridden Indonesia is not short of worries on the economic front, but policy makers are now grappling with an unexpected new concern. Is the beleaguered rupiah bouncing back too strongly? Here are some thoughts from politicians and...

Asia revival to start in late '99, says ADB.
November 23, 1998... Asia is poised to register economic growth in the second half of 1999, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Mr Mitsuo Sato, president and chairman of the ADB, said developing Asia would grow about 2 per cent in 1998 -- down from...

A `high farce' at APEC talks.
November 23, 1998... World leaders had a chance to send out much-needed positive vibes about Asia at the just-completed APEC Summit in Kuala Lumpur. They wasted that opportunity. At a time when statesmanship and reconciliation were required, one can only...

Trade fight hinges on Asia.
November 23, 1998... Australia's trading future remains inextricably linked to Asia even though exporters are successfully targeting new markets, according to a leading Austrade official. Mr Greg Dodds, executive general manager of North East Asia for...

Leading anchor to host awards.
November 23, 1998... Leading television anchor Ms Sydnie Kohara will be the master of ceremonies at the 1999 Business Asia News Magazine Awards. Ms Kohara, a respected face throughout Asia because of her role as a news anchor on CNBC Asia, has 17 years'...

ASIA FACT FILE.
November 23, 1998... Military might This week's Fact File outlines the power of the military in Asia-Pacific countries. AUSTRALIA Fit for military service, males: 4,200,090 Males reaching military age(*): 127,508 Military expenditures, %...

Slow trade to persist in East Asia.(Statistical Data Included)
November 23, 1998... Further stagnation is expected for trade in East Asia in the short term despite signs of an economic turnaround in some Asian nations, according to a report released by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO). The report said East...

Contacts count in Singapore.(includes addresses)
November 23, 1998... To get connected to employment opportunities in Singapore, you can get in touch with CONTACT SINGAPORE -- an information and resource centre that is your first point of contact to studying, working and living in the global city of Singapore....

Exporters in line for awards.
November 23, 1998... Aerial photographers, chamber orchestras, bullwhip makers, uranium and coal miners, pop singers, universities, fish farmers, computer-based betting systems and high-speed ferry builders: they are all finalists in the 1998 Australian Export...

Hong Kong tops freedom list.
November 23, 1998... Hong Kong remains the freest economy in the world, according to a new survey by independent think-tanks ranking 119 countries. The result confirms a similar study in 1990. In the new survey, "Economic Freedom of the World: 1998-1999 Interim...

IN BRIEF.
November 23, 1998... * Bangkok -- Thailand's economic recovery is set to begin in six months, barring unforseen external shocks, as measures to reflate the battered economy start to kick in, a Japanese economic expert says. However, a fully fledged recovery for...

PARK CHUNG-HEE.
November 23, 1998... The strongman of Korea "Aloof, authoritarian and disdainful, Park Chung-hee demanded respect, not popularity. And that is what he got" -- Time, November 5, 1979. The first accounts to emerge from an official Seoul dinner on October...

Coal drives Newcastle throughput.
November 23, 1998... Increased coal exports and record container volumes have led to significant growth of total trade throughput figures for the Port of Newcastle. The New South Wales Minister for Ports, Mr Kim Yeadon, said the port's 1997-98 figure of 77.06...

Asia to lead global growth.(Statistical Data Included)
November 23, 1998... The financial problems in Asian economies are well documented, but a new report indicates shippers still see East Asia as the heart of their business East and South East Asia will lead the way during a period unprecedented expansion...

Fremantle gets import facility.
November 23, 1998... The opening of new import facilities at Fremantle Port's bulk cargo jetty in Western Australia has been recognised as one of its major achievements this year. The Fremantle Port Authority has contracted Anaconda Nickel to use the...

Alliances can lift efficiency.
November 23, 1998... Rival port operators in the Asia-Pacific region can improve productivity by cooperating with their competitors, according to Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board chairman Mr Peter Thompson. Although competition within the industry was...

Adelaide milestone.
November 23, 1998... South Australia's Port Adelaide has experienced significant growth over the past 12 months, and recently surpassed 100,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in annual container throughput for the first time. The general manager of Ports...

Sydney courts big firms.
November 23, 1998... Sydney Ports Corporation is increasing efforts to attract cargo volumes through a range of trade development initiatives. Last month, the corporation's general manager of commercial business, Mr Don Ross, and commercial services manager, Mr...

Brisbane cottons on to new deal.
November 23, 1998... The Port of Brisbane Corporation has signed a deal to become the only port in Australia to pack cotton wharfside. The agreement, with Island Packing and Storage, will see the construction of three cotton storage sheds at the port's...

China to ease port barriers.
November 23, 1998... China will expand its foreign cooperation in the shipping industry and use foreign investments to speed up port construction, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Communications. Mr Zhang Chunxian, Vice Minister of...

Singapore pushes finance claims.
November 23, 1998... * Singapore has announced sweeping reforms in corporate fundraising in the latest of a series of moves aimed at building its position as a top financial centre. The Singapore government said it planned to implement the recommendations of the...

Malaysia still fertile IT area.
November 23, 1998... Opportunities continue to exist for Australian companies in Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), despite recent negative reports about the project. A high-level Malaysian business mission visited Australia recently to encourage...

Nepal split over Clayton's tax.
November 23, 1998... Australia is not the only country where tax reform is a hotly debated issue. In the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, value-added tax (VAT) has become the paramount topic of discussion. While the Australian and Nepalese governments are adamant...

HK `regime' loses liberal ethic.
November 23, 1998... Hong Kong has again been labelled the freest economy in the world by an international survey. United States commentator DAVID DeROSA(*) argues the reputation is no longer deserved Remember a place called Hong Kong, once the very icon of the...

Time to resurrect export spirit.
November 23, 1998... Asia's export-led recovery has not kicked in, despite currency devaluations in the region. NAOYUKI HASHIMOTO(*) offers an explanation A peculiar phenomenon is now in evidence. The exports of Asian countries, whose competitiveness should...