Asean
Thai Prime Minister invite Japan to increase role in ASEAN

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today called on Japan to play a key role in connecting the Southeast Asian region, particularly in the development of the Dawei deep seaport mega project near the Thai-Myanmar border and cooperation in preparing the region for possible disasters.
The Thai premier openly sought the Japanese support in handling natural disasters and exchanges of information with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in order to connect a disaster arning system through satellite.

Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra made the overture in a meeting among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN and Japan
Ms Yingluck made the overture in a meeting among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN and Japan, held on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN Summit in the Cambodian capital. The ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 15th of its kind, lasted about one and a half hours.
Next year marks the 40th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relationship
She called on Japan to take a larger role in connecting the region, especially especially regarding logistics to link Thailand’s border areas with neighbouring countries, and the Dawei project with Laem Chabang deep seaport on eastern Thailand.
Japan should increase its activity in the Mekong region through the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and the Mekong Japan Forum with emphasis on agriculture, public health and human resources development, said Ms Yingluck.
Next year marks the 40th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relationship. The Thai prime minister said she believes the ASEAN and Japan relationship will be strengthened in every aspect while trade and investment will also be enhanced. MCOT online news
via Thai PM urges more Japanese participation in ASEAN | MCOT.net.
Asean
The Latest on Covid-19 in Southeast Asia
Thailand has largely avoided widespread community transmission of Covid-19, but the kingdom is not faring well on the economic front, with a projected contraction of 7.1 percent this year.

As a region, Southeast Asia has fared relatively well in keeping coronavirus cases low, with the notable exceptions of the Philippines and Indonesia.
(more…)Laos
China’s debt-trap diplomacy: Laos’ credit rating downgraded to CCC
Laos’ debt challenge is deeply concerning, with some media commentators suggesting the country is falling into a debt trap as a result of Chinese infrastructure investments connected to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

On 23 September, the Fitch Ratings agency downgraded Laos’ credit rating to CCC — the second downgrade in 2020, having dropped to B- in May.
(more…)Vietnam
Foreign capital still heads to Vietnam
As many as 798 projects added a combined over 5.11 billion USD to their investment capital, down 23 percent year-on-year in project number but up 6.8 percent in value.

Hanoi (VNA) – The total amount of foreign investment poured into Vietnam this year to September 20 reached 21.2 billion USD, equivalent to 81.8 percent of the same period last year, reported the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
(more…)