Asia Economy

In 2013 Brunei Darussalam takes over the chairmanship of ASEAN at a crucial juncture for both the trading bloc and the country’s aspirations. The region faces several challenges, from territorial disputes in the South China Sea to implementing the criteria for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). With its one-year chairmanship, the Sultanate will be...

The year 2013 will see Brunei Darussalam take over as chair of the ASEAN. It does so at a time when the 10-nation grouping is facing serious challenges. The role also presents the Sultanate with an opportunity to showcase its talents in the diplomatic sphere before a larger, global audience. A number of foreign analysts and local and...

A popular and official local provincial motto reads “success and prosperity only come with effort”, and it is clear that these days, East Java is taking this wisdom seriously. The push to amplify economic growth is seeing major efforts under way to attract more investment and develop the region’s economy.

For both foreign and domestic investors, opportunities abound in East Java, ranging from oil and gas to industrial processing and geothermal energy. However, among these, a report issued by the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) in 2011 on opportunities in East Java highlighted four particularly high-profile projects for private...

As a nation of 245m people, spread over three time zones and around 17,000 islands, Indonesia has always been a country of great diversity — economically, politically, culturally and ethnically.

Labour relations emerged in 2012 as one of the key downside risks facing Indonesia. Already constrained by one of the world’s most restrictive labour laws, new rules in 2012 hiking the minimum wages in important industrial production areas and curbing the use of outsourced staff to circumvent rules on full-time employees have prompted protests from...