Chinese consumers can’t get enough of durian, a fruit so pungent it’s banned in Southeast Asian airports
Chinese imports of durian rose to 1.56 billion kilograms last year, 2.5 times what it imported in 2019. Read More
Southeast
Vietnam’s Techcombank reports a 20% jump in profits as CEO predicts bumper growth for Southeast Asia’s new manufacturing hub
The bank targets younger Vietnamese and its growth was driven by loans and wealth management services. Read More
A Chinese actor’s kidnapping reignites fears over travelling to Southeast Asia, and renews concerns over scam centers run by criminal gangs
Users on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu asked if it was safe to travel to Thailand while a Hong Kong singer-actor canceled his Bangkok concert. Read More
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s most populous country, becomes a full member of BRICS, a counterweight to the West
Indonesia called BRICS membership “a strategic step” to working with other developing nations, and expressed “gratitude to Russia” for helping it join. Read More
Trump is set to hike tariffs. Should Southeast Asia be worried?
Countries like Vietnam benefited from Trump’s trade war. That could put them at risk in the second round. Read More
Singapore’s Straits Times Index is Southeast Asia’s best performing index for 2024—and it’s all due to its Big Three banks
A share rally in Singapore’s biggest banks—DBS, UOB and OCBC—lifted the Straits Times Index to end the year above Malayis’a Kuala Lumpur Composite Index. Read More