Sunday, April 11 2021 | ASIA TODAY INTERNATIONAL - Reporting the Business that Matters in Asia
TAIPEI - Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has welcomed three resolutions passed by the European Parliament (EP) calling for an expanded partnership with Taiwan, and support for Taiwan's participation in international organisations.
BEIJING -- The second and third waves of COVID-19 and consequent industrial production disruptions in parts of Europe have caused a shortage in semiconductor chips at the same time as demand from China is rising sharply.
MANILA-- As anticipated, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has kept its overnight reverse repurchase rate (RRP) unchanged at 2.00%. Sufficient liquidity in the economy, benign inflation outlook and emerging signals of economic recovery were factored into today's rate decision, according to analysis by ANZ Bank.
BEIJING - China's State newsagency, Xinhua, reports that Chinese authorities have urged efforts to extend financial support to major foreign-funded firms to lower their fund-raising costs and help them weather the COVID-19 economic fallout.
TAIPEI -- Agriculture, biotechnology, energy, and information and communication technology are just some of the potential-laden fields for co-operation in which Taiwan and Australia are seeing solid progress, Taiwan's Vice President, Lai Ching-te, has told the outgoing Head of the Australian Office in Taipei, Gary Cowan. Speaking at Taiwan's Presidential Palace, Lai said the support of Australia, which he described as a "like-minded partner" for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations, was sincerely appreciated.
SHANGHAI - China's Xiaomi Corp. has launched its latest flagship smartphone two months ahead of schedule, as it accelerates its drive to grab more market share in China from sanctions-hobbled Huawei Technologies and its recently spun-off Honor budget brand.
KARACHI -- Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT), managed by Phiippines'-headquartered ICTSI, has welcomed the inaugural call of a newly-launched Pakistan-United Arab Emirates (PS2) shipping service.
HONG KONG -- While stabilisation of markets seems to be within reach with the introduction of new COVID-19 vaccines and new leadership in the US, investors should expect the process to be gradual and long, Manulife Investment Management says in its regional outlook for the year ahead. Structural changes caused by the pandemic will take time to reverse, it says.
PARIS -- Beyond the human tragedy of COVID-19, 2020 has left the world with a long list of economic consequences for the future - but they are not all negative, says BBVA Bank. "The most obvious consequence is the severe recession, with global GDP expected to decrease by more than 2.5%, which is a bigger decrease than that of the 2009 financial crisis (-1.7%)," BBVA says in a new report.
"We know that this decline is temporary and is not a response to cumulative imbalances of inflation or debt, as is the case with normal recessions," the report says.
HONG KONG -- China's move to take control of Sichuan Trust Co. Ltd. signals a growing assertiveness with the sector, according to global ratings agency Standard and Poor's. Chinese officials said the entity was plagued with governance issues, resulting in a swath of defaulted trust products, but S&P Global Ratings believes the authorities' action on Sichuan Trust demonstrates China's intention to continue its crackdown on trust entities specifically, and China's shadow bank sector generally, in 2021.
BEIJING - China's State newsagency, Xinhua, says sporadic COVID-19 cases have resurfaced in China's capital of Beijing as well as northeast Liaoning Province and the southern high-tech hub of Shenzhen, prompting authorities to tighten epidemic control measures.
HONG KONG -- After decades of increasing globalisation on every front, from trade - pushed further by the growing role of value chains - to technology, movement of people and investment, there now seems to be a turn towards slower globalisation if not deglobalisation, at least in some areas, Natixis, the global financial group, says in a new report.
BANGKOK - Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) has approved new measures to help accelerate investment and to promote adoption of digital technologies. Lawyers Baker & McKenzie summarise the new incentives as follows:
TAIPEI - More than 1,700 lawmakers from over 80 countries spoke in favour of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly -- the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation -- when the WHA reconvened last month in Geneva, according to the annual report of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), which said global support for Taiwan on this issue had reached an "unprecedented level".
WASHINGTON: A U.S. Republican Senator, Pat Toomey, has introduced a resolution to the U.S. Senate calling for the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Taiwan. Roomey described building closer trade ties with Taiwan as a win-win for both sides, saying it would help the U.S. strengthen its relationship with a key ally -- while increasing economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
HONG KONG - Strong PMI prints in November indicate a high possibility that China's GDP growth may return to above 5.5% y/y in Q4, according to ANZ Bank. It says a broad improvement is seen across sectors, particularly for small enterprises, whose PMI climbed to 50.1, above the breakeven threshold. For the manufacturing sector, the production and new orders sub-indices moved to 54.7 and 53.9, the highest levels year to date, suggesting a recovery in both supply and demand.