News

Nov. 27 – Malaysia and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday that will strengthen intergovernmental cooperation in a number of key areas. Malaysia’s newest MoU with India is part of a larger effort by the country to strengthen its strategic and economic ties with regional neighbors. Last month, China and Malaysia elevated their […]

By Shawn Greene Nov. 26 – Navigating foreign investment in India can be daunting. The World Bank’s Doing Business 2014 report ranks India among the most difficult countries in which to start a business – 179th out of 189 countries analyzed. As such, foreign firms are highly recommended to hire a professional services firm to […]

Nov. 26 – Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Trong led a four-day visit to India last week, which included a series of high-level meetings with government officials aimed at boosting cooperation between the two countries. During Trong’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, both leaders pledged that they would strive to increase […]

In this issue, we examine the different tax rates in 13 Asian jurisdictions – the 10 countries of ASEAN, plus China, India and Hong Kong. We examine the on-the-ground tax rates that each of these countries levy as well as residency triggers, available tax incentives for the foreign investor, and important compliance issues.

Nov. 20 – Taiwan has signed a free trade pact with Singapore this month following three years of economic dialogues aimed at boosting cooperation between the two governments. The Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP) will reduce the tariff on goods traded between […]

Nov. 19 – The Malaysian government has announced that it will implement a new Goods and Services Tax (GST) beginning April 1, 2015. The initial rate is expected to be 6 percent which will be the lowest amongst ASEAN countries and much lower than the VAT rates in the European Union. The tax was announced […]

Nov. 19 – When looking to expand your manufacturing business into Vietnam, there are a variety of key issues for which extra attention needs to be paid. You need to be aware of not just your potential location, but also what establishing a presence in that location means – specifically with regard to different zone […]

Nov. 18 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded its annual Article IV Consultations with Singapore, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea. Conducted annually, Article IV Consultations attempt to assess each country’s economic health and forestall future financial problems. The results of the three Consultations were inevitably mixed. In its report on Singapore, the […]

Nov. 14 – Currencies across Asia declined following the release of a surprisingly positive U.S. jobs report. In October, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country added 204,000 jobs – much higher than the 120,000 that analysts had initially expected. Most analysts had expected that the government shutdown in the U.S. would […]

The recently-leaked Trans-Pacific Partnership documents by Wikileaks and accompanying commentary from Julian Assange show that they have no understanding of international trade, changing global dynamics, or how democracy works.