Asia Economy

Malaysia continued to post reasonably strong growth in 2012 despite its high exposure to trade amidst a soft global economic climate. The Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) championed by Prime Minister Najib Razak is taking hold, bringing increased expenditures on infrastructure and a growth in private sector investment. The ETP’s goal is to help Malaysia escape the “middle-income trap” and...

Split between Peninsular Malaysia and the island of Borneo, Malaysia has a diverse population of 29m, mainly ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians. Bahasa Malayu is the official national language, but Indian and Chinese languages are spoken by their respective native communities, and English is widely used even beyond the business community. Malaysia, which gained real independence in 1957, is a...

This section includes an article about Songkran, the Thai water festival celebrating the New Year, as well as a feature about the tranquil and historic city of Kanchanaburi. OBG also offers information on hotels, government and other listings, alongside useful tips for visitors on topics like currency, visas, language, communications, dress, business hours and electricity.

Thailand’s plans to climb the ladder toward becoming a high-economy country were put on hold by disastrous floods in late 2011. Real GDP contracted 9% and losses were estimated at $44.7bn, but recovery, particularly for the hard-hit industrial estates, has been relatively swift. The focus is now on mitigating Thailand’s dependence on low-cost manufacturing exports for growth, which is risky given...

This chapter features interviews with His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand; Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand; Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General, ASEAN; Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, Minister for Economic Affairs, Kingdom of Bhutan; William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK.