Heart of the Matter: Tight regulation makes a bank run unlikely in Singapore, experts say (March 25, 2023, Channel News Asia)
This time last year, few would have heard of Silicon Valley Bank. But the recent collapse of the US bank has raised the spectre of the Lehman Brothers meltdown, sparking fears of a banking crisis.
Traveling to Asia for work? This city is its most expensive business destination (March 21, 2023, CNBC)
Hong Kong has been named the most expensive location in Asia for business travelers — for the second year in a row, according to a new report.
Southeast Asia’s Post-Pandemic Tourism Revival (March 21, 2023, The Diplomat)
Regional tourism is finally rebounding from the impacts of COVID-19. Will Southeast Asian government do things differently this time around?
Will Asia’s start-ups feel the heat of Silicon Valley Bank collapse? (March 17, 2023, South China
Moring Post)The failure of the US tech sector’s bank of choice has sparked contagion fears and sent a crisis of confidence rippling through the global economy. Interest rate uncertainty and credit crunch fears have put many Asian business owners on edge, adding to liquidity woes amid the end of easy money
Asia’s economic outlook ‘relatively strong’ despite subdued global growth: OECD chief (March 17, 2023, Channel News Asia)
Asia’s economic outlook for the year is expected to be “relatively strong”, as the region benefits from China’s reopening, despite a muted global growth forecast and amid troubles brewing in the banking sector, OECD chief Mathias Cormann said on Thursday (Mar 16).“Our outlook for Asia is relatively strong growth and strong recovery, subject to a level of downside risks,” said the secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD).
Cambodia’s ministries set to offer financial support to suspended workers (March 7, 2023, The Phnom Penh Post, via Asia News Network)
Prime Minister Hun Sen has advised two ministries to provide financial support, starting from April, to workers in the textile-related sectors who were suspended from work or whose factories were shut down. He also allowed relevant ministries to increase cash for pregnant women and child under 2 for them to receive adequate nutrition. Hun Sen gave the instruction while presiding over a graduation ceremony for 1,728 students from the Institute of New Khmer Generation, held in Phnom Penh on March 6.
Severe dollar crisis hobbles Bangladesh businesses (February 23, 2023, Al Jazeera)
The South Asian nation has been facing severe economic hardship since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago. In its import-dependent economy, rising global fuel oil and other commodity prices have caused nearly double-digit inflation and depleted foreign reserves.
Why is India rolling back COVID-19 food aid? (February 20, 2023, East Asia Forum)
The recent move reflects a fine balancing act by the government, which is caught between addressing the interests of the ‘poorest of the poor’ and those of marginalised individuals who need to purchase food in the open market.
China's economy shows gradual recovery after COVID reopening (March 15, 2023, Reuters)
China's abandonment of COVID-19 controls late in 2022 has reinvigorated an $18 trillion economy that has suffered one of its lowest growth rates in nearly half a century, with analysts expecting momentum to improve further in coming months.
Growth in China’s Labor Force Slowed Since 2018, Says New Survey (February 28, 2023, Sixth Tone)
Data from a new survey has revealed that the working population in China grew by just 2.8% over the last five years — a significant contraction from a growth rate of 11.8% recorded in 2018. And with China expected to see the biggest ever wave of retirements over the next ten years, concerns over the country’s aging population and its implications on the labor market continue to grow.
AsiaBriefs, produced in partnership with ChinaSource, is a place for you to catch up on news items and analysis from around Asia that you might have missed. It is a curated list of links from published online sources. Clicking a link will take you to a website other than Asia Congress or ChinaSource. Neither Asia Congress nor ChinaSource is responsible for the content or other features on that site. Further, an article’s inclusion does not equal an endorsement. Links to China stories are from ZGBriefs, a weekly publication of ChinaSource that highlights important news and analysis from China. You can read the complete, unabbreviated version of ZGBriefs at ChinaSource, and subscribe to receive it by email every Thursday.
Editor
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
Blessing Asia
In October-2022 more than 500 Christian leaders from across Asia gathered in Thailand for the Asia 2022 Congress, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement and various partnering organizations. I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress virtually and was mightily blessed. From Bible exposition to K-pop worship, and through seminars and workshops, the participants were encouraged by the stories of what God is doing in countries all over Asia. Clearly, God is on the move.
A beautiful vision was portrayed in a video of the popular worship song The Blessing, featuring singers from all over Asia. Here it is:
Many of the sessions have already been posted on their website and to their YouTube channel.
One that I found particularly helpful considering all that is going on in China was a presentation titled Church and State Relationship in Asia Today. You can see the video here.
I encourage you to spend some time on their website; there are fantastic resources for understanding God’s work in Asia today.
Original link: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/blessing-asia/
Image credit: Andrea Brucker, via Unsplash
Explore Topics
Newsletter