Thailand Economic Monitor July 2021: The Road to Recovery
07/15/2021 | 01:25am EDT
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Key Findings
Successive waves of COVID-19 disrupted the Thai economy in the first half of 2021, but their impact was mitigated by recovering global demand and substantial fiscal support. The shock of the second wave caused the economy to contract by -2.6 percent in the first quarter of 2021, following a 6.1 percent drop in GDP in 2020-one of the steepest contractions among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. A third wave of infections emerged in April 2021 has proven especially severe with strict containment measures reducing mobility and negatively affecting consumption and business sentiment.
Taking to the streets: Women carrying burning torches as they march during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. AFP
The United States has “deep concerns” about the situation in Myanmar following February’s coup, urging the Association of South-East Asian Nations to take action, the State Department said.
Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government earlier this year, accusing it of fraud during 2020 elections.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday “called on Asean to take joint action to urge the end of violence, the restoration of Burma’s democratic transition, and the release of all those unjustly detained, ” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, using the country’s former name.As well as expressing his “deep concern” about Asean member Myanmar, Blinken also pushed the bloc to put into place its five-point plan for Myanmar drafted in April, callin
FDI rise shows foreign investors firm confidence
1 2021-07-15 08:28:21China Daily
Editor : Li Yan
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Employees work on the production line of a Spanish electronics company in Hai an, Jiangsu province. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/for China Daily)
Steady upswing in growth momentum makes China increasingly attractive
The better-than-expected expansion of foreign direct investment into China during the first half of the year reflects foreign investors increasingly firm confidence in the Chinese economy, underpinned by the nation s steady economic growth upswing despite complex domestic and external conditions, according to experts and business leaders.
They also forecast that FDI into China will reach a new high in the near future, as the world s second-largest economy drives up economic growth, continuously improves its business environment and, with its effective control of COVID-19, becomes a safe harbor for FDI.
US urges ASEAN to press for return to democracy in Myanmar - New Delhi Times - India s Only International Newspaper newdelhitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newdelhitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SCO: U.S. Promoting Indo-Pacific Initiative to Contain Russia and China, Weaken ASEAN
Washington is pushing its Indo-Pacific agenda to isolate Russia, deter China and diminish the role of the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The above accusation was made by the Russian delegation to a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
It further affirmed that efforts towards solidifying a polycentric (multipolar) world based on the role of the United Nations and existing international law was being challenged currently by the U.S. and its allies “to try to preserve their predominant position with the use of force.”