Integrity Legal

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that Apple Inc. and the Korean firm Samsung are apparently working in cooperation in order to fashion the next generation of PC tablets. In order to provide further insight it is necessary to quote directly from The Korea Herald via the Asia News Network:

Apple Inc’s chief operating officer Tim Cook discussed adopting Samsung’s AMOLED display technology for tablet PCs during his recent visit to South Korea, industry sources said…Tim Cook is not only the COO, but also acting CEO of Apple. During Cook’s trip last week, Apple seems to have offered Samsung an advance for the AMOLED displays, the source said…

It is recommended by the administration of this blog that readers click upon the hyperlinks noted above to read this article in further detail.

As technology continues to be a defining component of a more dynamic global economy there is hope that cooperation between American and Asian technology firms will result in further technological as well as economic advances. Concurrently, such cooperation is likely to also manifest itself in the form of better computing platforms for the general public.

It is interesting to note that while Northern Asia, especially Northeastern Asia has seen industrial advances the Southeast Asian region continues to show growth in the agricultural sector. This has arguably been the case in the Kingdom of Thailand for quite some time. However, there seems to be evidence to indicate that agricultural growth is expanding into the neighboring countries, such as Cambodia, which also happen to be members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Most notably, it would appear that a company in the Kingdom of Thailand is poised to undertake a new venture in the Kingdom of Cambodia with the aim of increasing rice production therein. For further elucidation this blogger must quote directly from the official website of The Bangkok Post:

Asia Golden Rice Co, Thailand’s second-largest rice exporter, has mapped out a 1.5-billion-baht rice investment in Cambodia in a bid to expand regionally…The plan includes modern, fully equipped milling and processing plants with a capacity to process up to one million tonnes of rice per year, and is considered a milestone investment in rice industry of Cambodia, the world’s sixth largest rice exporter…

It is once again recommended that readers click upon the hyperlinks noted above to read further on these developments in detail.

The overall ramifications of this plan remain to be seen. That stated, there is certainly room for speculation that a venture such as the one described above could have positive benefits for ASEAN as well as Asia as a whole. Since many countries around the globe import rice from Southeast Asia one could surmise that increased production could drive down the cost of rice internationally and thereby benefit rice consumers around the world.

For related information please see: ASEAN.

Tags: American Business, ASEAN, ASEAN Business, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Cambodia Business, Korea Business, Thai Business, Thailand Business
Posted in American Business, ASEAN Business, Cambodia Business, News, Thailand Business, Thailand company, US Business, US Mission ASEAN | No Comments »

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that the President of the Philippines has voiced his belief in the advisability of further integration of the economies in the countries which comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam). In order to provide further insight into these comments it is necessary to quote directly from the official website of Asia One at AsiaOne.com:

Asean must take advantage of opportunities at a time when the world’s traditional growth centres are slowing down, Philippine President Benigno S Aquino III yesterday said. At the close of Asia Inc Forum’s Asean 100 Leadership Forum here, Aquino said for Asean to grow further, it is necessary for the member states to work together to continue to maintain peace, stability and an environment that attracts investments. “I am aware that the diversity in Asean makes it difficult to completely agree with one another on some issues, but this has not stopped us from collaborating on the economic front, and integration has always helped us push our economies.”

This blogger encourages readers to click upon the hyperlinks noted above to read this interesting article in detail.

There seem to be few who question the soundness of the idea that economic integration in ASEAN would provide benefits to the citizens of all of the economies at issue. That stated, ASEAN is a unique regional bloc due to the fact that it has utilized a relatively slow economic integration process which has allowed the participating members to provide mutual benefits to one another while simultaneously allowing the member nations to respect the views of each other regarding national interest and foreign policy, especially in a global context.

Meanwhile, another ASEAN member; specifically the Kingdom of Thailand, has recently been the topic of an article about that nation’s relationship with the United States. In order to provide further context it is necessary to quote directly from an article by Walter Lohman posted to the official website of The Heritage Foundation at Heritage.org:

The administration of this web log asks readers to click upon the aforementioned hyperlinks in order to read this article in detail.

This blogger must take note of the rather precise understanding of the complex interplay of relationships between Asian countries in the context of global diplomacy. It is especially gratifying to see that type understanding in an analysis of US-Thai relations. A prime example of how some such relationships smoothly operate over time can be viewed in an analysis the relationship between the United States and Thailand. The US-Thai Treaty of Amity has proven to be a useful platform for Thai-American business while simultaneously having the ancillary benefit of providing new business opportunities in the economies of the surrounding nations. Hopefully the same trend will continue and similar situations will arise in the other ASEAN economies which foster and facilitate sustainable regional growth for the whole of ASEAN.

For information pertaining to procurement of legal services in the Kingdom of Thailand or the Greater ASEAN region please see: Legal.

Tags: ASEAN, Asean 100 Leadership Forum, ASEAN Business, ASEAN economies, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cold War, economic front, foreign policy, grand strategy, Indochina, Indonesia, Korean Peninsula, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, national interest, Philippine President Benigno S Aquino III, Philippines, rapprochement, Singapore, Thailand, Thailand Business, Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1833, U.S.–Thai alliance, US-Thai Treaty of Amity, Vietnam
Posted in Amity Treaty, ASEAN Business, China Business, Thailand Business | No Comments »

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that the Kingdom of Thailand may see a female Prime Minister for the first time in that country’s history. In order to provide further insight into these developments it may be best to quote directly from the official website of Reuters, Reuters.com:

Yingluck Shinawatra, a 44-year-old businesswoman who wasn’t even in politics two months ago, is poised to get the top job after the stunning election victory of Puea Thai (For Thais), whose de facto leader is her brother, fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Yingluck, known as Pou (Crab), the nickname her parents gave her, has never run for office or held a government post, so she has a lot to prove to show she can run the country. But some Thais, especially females, want to give her the benefit of the doubt and see this as a big step for women in a country where they have struggled for equal representation in government…

The administration of this web log encourages readers to click upon the relevant hyperlinks noted above to read further about the details of this story.

The Kingdom of Thailand is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and political events occurring in this jurisdiction can have ramifications for the business community in Thailand and Greater Asia. Concurrently, the prospect of a first time election of a female leader in any nation is significant news by any estimate. It should be interesting to see how these events unfold.

In American news, the government of the sovereign State of Minnesota recently shut down and has remained so for a few days. To provide further insight into these events it may be best to quote directly from the official website of CNN, CNN.com:

The government shutdown in Minnesota could drag on for days as a spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Dayton said talks probably won’t happen until after the July 4 holiday. ”I do not expect formal meetings to resume before Tuesday,” Katharine Tinucci said in an e-mail Saturday night. The Minnesota government was forced to shut down Friday for the second time in six years after lawmakers failed to reach a budget agreement before a midnight Thursday deadline…

The administration of this web log encourages readers to click upon the hyperlinks above to learn more.

In a previous posting on this web log the possibility of an American federal government shutdown was discussed, but did not actually occur as American legislators came to a consensus regarding some of the issues associated with the United States budget and this consensus resulted in the American government remaining open. As the United States has a separate sovereignty system the various American States maintain separate governments from that of the federal government. The shutdown of any government can have implications for a State’s economy and therefore it is likely hoped by many around the USA (and the world) that Minnesota’s government can resolve their issues and get back to the business of governing that State.

For related information please see: Legal or US Company Registration.

Tags: American Company Registration, ASEAN, ASEAN news, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Association of Southeast Asian Nations News, federal government, female Prime Minister, Minnesota government shutdown, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, Puea Thai, separate sovereignty, State government, State of Minnesota, States' Rights, Thailand Business, Thailand News, Thaksin Shinawatra, US Company Registration, Yingluck Shinawatra
Posted in American Business, ASEAN Business, Thailand Business, Thailand company | No Comments »

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has expressed some concern about the possibility of the Union of Myanmar (also sometimes colloquially referred to as Burma) becoming Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In order to provide further insight it may be best to quote directly from the website of Channel News Asia, ChannelNewsAsia.com:

SINGAPORE: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday urged ASEAN to openly discuss Myanmar’s political and human rights problems before the country takes its turn as chair of the regional bloc. “Looking at the discussion about Myanmar and its interest in taking over the presidency of ASEAN, I am a little bit concerned,” she told a forum in Singapore, a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Merkel told an audience of government officials, foreign diplomats and academics that “the present leadership of Myanmar has not really proved that they are serious about embarking on the road of democracy…”

The administration of this web log strongly encourages readers to click upon the relevant hyperlinks above to learn more on this topic.

The Union of Myanmar has been in the news a great deal recently as that country recently held elections ushering in something of a new era in Myanmar’s politics although there are some who argue that there has been little real change resulting from the aforementioned elections. That stated, it is this blogger’s personal opinion that any progress under the circumstances would be a good thing. Frequent readers of this blog may note that Myanmar was recently rumored to be pondering the opening of a stock exchange although that has yet to see fruition.

Meanwhile, the United States and China appear poised for cooperation in matters pertaining to ASEAN as a recent article on the Voice of America website pointed out. To quote directly from the aforementioned article:

A top State Department official says that as the United States works to deepen its engagement in Southeast Asia, working closely together with China is a key part of that effort. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell says that one of the the most important things that the United States is seeking to do this year, both at the ASEAN regional forum and the East Asia Summit, is show the United States deep commitment to working with China…As the United States works to find common ground with China, the world’s second largest economy and a rising Asia-Pacific military power, Campbell says Washington will be seeking to highlight areas of common pursuit with Beijing and find specific projects the two countries can work with each other in the region…

This blogger encourages readers to click on the hyperlinks noted above to find out more.

It is good to see that American officials are making an effort to become more engaged in the ASEAN region especially with the cooperation of the Chinese since combined efforts could yield significant benefits in the form of better diplomatic and trade relations for all concerned. In a previous posting it was noted that Chinese officials plan to incorporate a high speed rail link into the current rail system employed in the Kingdom of Thailand so that there would be a contiguous rail link between Thailand, Laos, and Greater China. In addition, it was also announced that Bangkok will likely soon see a Chinese Trade Complex which is to be designed to provide a platform for the trade of goods in Thailand. How all of these developments will ultimately play out remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: there is room for optimism in a current analysis of ASEAN developments.

For related information please see: US-Thai Treaty of Amity.

Tags: ASEAN, ASEAN Business, Asia-Pacific, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Bangkok, Beijing, Burma, China, China Business, Chinese Trade Complex, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Laos, Laos Business, Myanmar, Singapore, stock exchange, Thailand, Thailand Business, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, US-Thai Treaty of Amity, Voice of America, Washington
Posted in ASEAN Business | No Comments »

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that the head of the International Monetary Fund has been arrested in the American city of New York. To quote directly from the official website of the New York Post, nypost.com:

The French political bigshot who heads the International Monetary Fund was arrested for allegedly sodomizing a Manhattan hotel maid yesterday — hauled off an Air France flight just moments before takeoff from Kennedy Airport, police sources said. Three Port Authority detectives pulled Dominique Strauss-Kahn from the plane’s first-class cabin just two minutes before it was due to depart for Paris, according to the police sources…

Hyperbole aside, this is a truly interesting case as it would appear that the charges are indeed quite grave at least according to this report which continues:

Strauss-Kahn is awaiting arraignment on charges of a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. The trouble began at around 1 p.m. yesterday when a 32-year-old housekeeper entered Strauss-Kahn’s $3,000-a-night suite at the luxury Sofitel on West 44th Street — apparently unaware he was still inside…

The administration of this web log asks readers to click upon the hyperlinks noted above to learn more on what appears to be a quickly unfolding story. To gain further perspective further research may be required. Those reading this blog are asked to remember that in the United States a prospective defendant is viewed in the eyes of the law as innocent until proven guilty.

Meanwhile, this news comes at a time when the Southeast Asian Nation of Singapore sees the resignation of a much respected Minister. To quote directly from the official website of the BBC:

Singapore founding father Lee Kuan Yew has resigned from the country’s cabinet, ceding leadership to his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The move comes after their party’s worst election result since 1965. Lee Kuan Yew and fellow former prime minister Goh Chok Tong said in a joint resignation statement that the “time has come for a younger generation”. The 87-year old Mr Lee was prime minister from 1959 to 1990, after which Mr Goh took over until 2004…

The administration of this web log strongly encourages readers to click on the hyperlinks noted above to learn more about this situation. Although Lee Kuan Yew is stepping down at a time when his party is facing a slump he is also able to look back at a career of achievement with respect to Singapore’s economic position relative to the rest of the world. It can certainly be said that, in many ways, he is leaving the country in a better economic position relative to the position it was in when he took office.

As events which impact an international institution such as the International Monetary Fund can have a collateral impact upon nations comprising the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and while Singapore’s political complexion can have an effect upon politics in the region of Southeast Asia it stands to reason that both of these events occurring virtually simultaneously will have a substantial “ripple effect” across the economies of the jurisdictions which make up ASEAN.

Readers of this blog are encouraged to keep abreast of these developments, especially those Americans Resident Abroad as these events could have implications for the future of the whole continent of Asia. As an American Resident Abroad in the Kingdom of Thailand this blogger feels that it is highly likely that these recent events, no matter how they eventually play out, are likely to have critical implications for American Citizens conducting business abroad in the future.

For related information please see: US Company Registration or Legal.

Tags: ASEAN, ASEAN Business, ASEAN news, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Business News, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Economic News, Financial News, Goh Chok Tong, International Monetary Fund, Kennedy Airport, Kingdom of Thailand, Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, Port Authority, Singapore, Singapore founding father, Southeast Asia News, Thailand Business
Posted in American Business, ASEAN Business, Editorial, News, Opinion, Thailand Business | No Comments »

Over the years this blogger has seen large numbers of tourists flock to the Kingdom of Thailand as well as the neighboring nations of Laos, the Union of Myanmar (referred to by some as Burma), Malaysia, and the Kingdom of Cambodia. At the same time, this blogger has also witnessed the metamorphosis of some of these tourists into entrepreneurs by remaining in some of these countries (as well as other jurisdictions in Greater Asia such as Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Nepal, Macau, India, and Sri Lanka; to name only a few) in a business context for many years and; for some, even decades or a whole lifetime. Whatever the circumstances of those Americans Resident Abroad remaining in the region of economies increasingly being labeled by both the mainstream and alternative media outlets by their affiliation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) one thing is clear: the economies of Asia are set to expand at an incredible rate by relative historical comparison. Therefore, it stands to reason that there are likely to be more Americans doing business in these jurisdictions. This state of affairs is occurring at a time when the potential of the internet and the World Wide Web first noted little more than a decade ago is beginning to become fully realized by businesses large and small. As e-commerce becomes an evermore ubiquitous facet of virtually every enterprise’s business strategy it is becoming more clear that many business functions are increasingly being performed by businesses of all sizes online and, in some cases, these businesses are even being maintained from an entrepreneur’s home.

This phenomenon is interesting for this blogger to note from the perspective of an American who is resident in Bangkok, Thailand as the Thai shop-house business model of maintaining a residence and business premises within close proximity has lead to a thriving small business community in the vast metropolis that is Greater Bangkok. This thriving business community, coupled with many of the other positive factors associated with doing business in Thailand, has lead to a vibrant economy that remains conducive to further foreign investment by entrepreneurs and businesses seeking to derive economic benefits both in Thailand and throughout the Asian markets. Of possible importance to Americans resident abroad or those thinking of residing abroad are the issues noted above as well as those associated with ownership of Thai property or Thai real estate especially in the form of a Thai Condominium.

In Thailand, as well as throughout many jurisdictions in Asia, there are restrictions placed upon foreign ownership of real estate. Although there are provisions allowing for foreign ownership of Thai property in many cases it is difficult, if not impossible, for a foreign national to secure freehold title (referred to as Chanote title in Thailand) in Thai real property such as land. However, it may be possible for a foreign national in Thailand, such as an American Citizen, to conveniently secure freehold title to a Thai Condo if the provisions of various laws and regulations on this issue, such as the Thai Condominium Act, are adhered to. Meanwhile, a foreign national who owns a Condo in Thailand may be qualified to receive a Foreign House Registration Booklet (referred to as a Tabien Baan for Thais or a Foreign Tabien Baan, or Yellow Tabien Baan for foreign nationals). Taking the aforementioned factors into consideration, in conjunction with the fact that for American Citizens and American Companies in Thailand there may be benefits pursuant to the provisions of various legal instruments such as the US-Thai Treaty of Amity which may provide the privilege of virtually 100% ownership of a Company in Thailand with “National Treatment” for certain business undertakings, one is left with little doubt that there are tangible legal benefits which could be accrued to the favor of Americans resident in Thailand conducting business in the ASEAN region as well as the regions of Greater Asia. Therefore,  investing in what this blogger would refer to as a “Thai Pad” (which non-literally alludes to the IPad-like gadgets allowing for increasingly easy real time access to the internet as well as the exponentially beneficial combination of privileges accruing to owners of Thai property registered on a Yellow Tabien Baan in conjunction with the advantages which may be had for Americans resident abroad utilizing a Thai company certified under the US-Thai Amity Treaty) could prove to have been prudent by future analysts in both tangible as well as intangible terms.

For related information please see: US Company Registration.

Tags: American Resident Abroad, Americans Resident Abroad, Amity Treaty Thailand, ASEAN, ASEAN Business, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Business in ASEAN, company in Thailand, Condo in Thailand, IPad, Thai Company, Thai Condo, Thai Condominium, Thai Pad, Thai Property, Thai Real Estate, Thailand Business, Thailand Business Law, Thailand company, Thailand Condo, Thailand Condo Law, Thailand Condo Lawyer, Thailand Condominium, Thailand Property, Thailand Property Title, Thailand Real Estate, Thailand Real Estate Title, US Citizen Resident Abroad, US-Thai Treaty of Amity
Posted in American Business, Amity Treaty, ASEAN Business, Cambodia Business, China Business, Ecommerce, Laos Business, Myanmar (Burma) Business, Thailand Business, Thailand company, Thailand Condo, Thailand Property, Thailand Real Estate, Thailand Work Permit, US Business, US Company Registration, US LLC, US Taxes | No Comments »

It recently came to this blogger’s attention that there are important events occurring in the realm of finance as the United States recently appears to have had its sovereign debt rating outlook lowered by Standard & Poor’s. To quote directly from an article written by Robin Harding, James Politi, and Michael Mackenzie on the official website of the Financial Times at FT.com:

Standard & Poor’s issued a stark warning to Washington on Monday, cutting its outlook on US sovereign debt for the first time and throwing more fuel on the raging debate over America’s swollen deficits.

The agency kept America’s credit rating at triple A but for the first time since it started rating US debt 70 years ago, cut its outlook from “stable” to “negative”. A negative outlook means there is a one-third chance of a downgrade in the next two years.

The administration of this blog strongly encourages readers to click on the hyperlinks above to view this story in detail as further insight can be derived therein.

The ramifications of this announcement are likely to reverberate around the globe, but in the United States there appears to have already been at least a market reaction to this information. To quote directly from an article written by Larry Elliot posted on the official website of The Guardian at Guardian.co.uk:

US budget deficit has moved from a surplus at the turn of the millennium to a deficit of 11% by 2009. Shares fell sharply on Wall Street today after the ratings agency S&P issued a warning to the US government about its soaring budget deficit. In a move that surprised and rattled the financial markets, S&P said it was cutting its long-term outlook on America from stable to negative…In early trading in New York, the Dow Jones industrial average had lost nearly 250 points – 2% – with the dollar weaker on the foreign exchanges and yields rising on US Treasury bills. The FTSE 100 in London was also down 2% or 126 points at 5869.

Again, this blogger strongly encourages readers to click on the hyperlinks above to read further and gain greater insight.

Hopefully, the consequences of the S&P downgrade will be short lived for America and her People, but there are some who argue that further turbulence may be ahead as countries around the world are economically re-aligning in ways which are unprecedented.  To quote directly from an article written by David Marsh on the website Yahoo.com:

China and four other leading high-growth economies have taken landmark steps toward lowering the importance of the dollar in international financial transactions — part of a seminal shift in the move towards a multicurrency reserve and trading system…Addition of South Africa to the former BRICS format seems to have galvanized the grouping. The five countries agreed to expand use of their own currencies in trade with each other — an important step toward putting the dollar into a new downsized place. One key influence is the annual expansion of China’s trade volume with other core countries by 40% in 2010 — and the buoyancy looks set to continue. The BRICS’ state development banks, including the China Development Bank, agreed to use their own currencies instead of the dollar in issuing credit or grants to each other — and they will also phase out the dollar in overall settlements and lending among each other.

In the recent past, it seemed as though many were discussing an “alternative” reserve currency to take the place of the dollar in an international context. However, from the information which can be gathered above, it would appear as though the so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and newly added South Africa) are moving towards something of a multicurrency system which, presumably, would incorporate the currencies, to one degree or another, of the member states noted above.

It is difficult to comment upon these events in detail at the time of this writing as the full ramifications of S&P’s downgrade, in conjunction with the BRICS announcements, could substantially impact the United States, Thailand, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole; since all of these entities have economic and political ties to the BRICS nations.

Concurrently, it would appear as though the Kingdom of Thailand remains something of an oasis of economic stability amidst the events unfolding above as tourism in Thailand along with the business of Thai Companies would appear to be steady. Currently, Thailand maintains thriving economic ties with the United States pursuant to agreements such as the US-Thai Treaty of Amity.

For related information please see: Thai business visa or US Company Registration.

Tags: American Business, ASEAN, ASEAN Business, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Brazil Business, BRIC, BRICS, business in America, Business in ASEAN, business in China, business in India, business in Russia, Business in Thailand, China Business, China Development Bank, India Business, international financial transactions, multicurrency reserve, Russia Business, S&P, South Africa Business, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Debt Downgrade, Standard and Poor's, Thailand Business, US Sovereign Debt, US-Thai Treaty of Amity
Posted in News | No Comments »

Those who have been reading this blog with any degree of regularity may have noticed that the economies, polities, and geopolitics of the world are in something of a state flux. This is not to say that this is either a positive or negative thing as such events occur from time to time. Therefore, astute followers of such events must be careful about making rigid predictions about how such matters will play out in the future. That being stated, it has recently come to this blogger’s attention that representatives from the so-called BRICS countries (an acronym denoting Brazil, Russia, India, China, and, now apparently, South Africa) are  having a summit. To quote directly from a concisely written article by Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press, On Wednesday April 13, 2011, 5:37 am EDT as posted on Yahoo.com:

SANYA, China (AP) — The leaders of the world’s largest emerging economies gather this week in southern China for what could be a watershed moment in their quest for a bigger say in the global financial architecture.

Thursday’s summit comes at a crucial moment for the expanded five-member bloc known as the BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and, for the first time, South Africa.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South African President Jacob Zuma will attend.

With the G-20 group of major economies seeking to remake parts of the global financial architecture, it’s time for the BRICS to test whether they can overcome internal differences and act as a bloc pursuing common interests.

The ramifications of this meeting could prove historic as the countries noted above, along with those that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), appear on track to become increasingly economically dynamic in the forthcoming years.     While reading this article, this blogger was especially impressed by this writer’s insightful analysis of the characteristics of the BRICS countries. To continue quoting directly from the aforementioned article:

The five countries are loosely joined by their common status as major fast-growing economies that have been traditionally underrepresented in world economic bodies, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

All broadly support free trade and oppose protectionism, although China in particular has been accused of erecting barriers to foreign competition. In foreign affairs, they tend toward nonintervention and oppose the use of force: Of the five, only South Africa voted in favor of the Libyan no-fly zone.

At the time of this writing, the summit noted above would appear to be geared mainly toward economic matters or matters pertaining to the economic realm, but how increasing ties among these nations could impact affairs playing out in the international political arena remains to be seen.

On a related note, Stock Exchanges in some of the Nations which compose the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Thailand, have recently announced collaborations apparently referred to as ASEAN Brand Identity, an ASEAN Exchanges website, and ASEAN Stars. In following up on that story it would appear that the ASEAN Exchanges website is now live, to quote directly from the website AsiaToday.com:

Launched today was the ASEAN Exchanges website (www.aseanexchanges.org) that will feature the ASEAN Stars and other ASEAN centric products and initiatives giving investors an integrated single-window view into the ASEAN capital market; a market that has a combined market capitalisation of approximately USD1.8 trillion and participation of more than 3,000 companies. Some of these companies are the largest and most dynamic companies in the world including leaders in finance and banking, telecommunications, commodities, automotive manufacturing and other industrial sectors.

The administration of this blog highly recommends that readers click upon the hyperlinks above to learn more details about these issues and the various exchanges within the ASEAN region as the whole Southeast Asia area is quickly becoming a vibrant economic force both on a regional and global level.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the nation of Laos has recently brought a Lao stock exchange online while Cambodia appears poised to take the same steps soon. Even the developing Union of Myanmar (referred to by some as Burma) has signaled interest in the opening of a Myanmar stock exchange. Whether such a development comes to pass remains to be seen. What is clear is that economic relationships are becoming increasingly stratified as economically dictated by the interests of the players in each of the markets of the world. Those interested in such matters are highly encouraged to conduct their own research and come to their own informed conclusions.

For related information please see: US Company Registration or Company in Thailand.

Tags: ASEAN Brand Identity, ASEAN Exchanges, ASEAN Stars, Brazil, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Cambodia Stock Exchange, China, China Business, Chinese President Hu Jintao, company in Thailand, India, India Business, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Laos Stock Exchange, Laos Stock Market, Myanmar Stock Exchange, Russia, Russia Business, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, South Africa, South African President Jacob Zuma, Thailand Business, US Company Registration
Posted in American Business, ASEAN Business, Brazil Business, Cambodia Business, China Business, India Business, Laos Business, Russia Business, South Africa Business, Thailand Business, US Company Registration | No Comments »

Those following this blog with any frequency may have by this point noticed that the blog has been monitoring the crisis situation in Japan in some depth while failing entirely to provide any information regarding the Earthquake that recently occurred in Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). The administration apologizes for the oversight. To quote directly from the official website of the Montreal Gazette at MontrealGazette.com:

YANGON. A strong earthquake struck Burma near the Thai border on Thursday, killing at least two people, including a child, officials from both countries said, with shaking felt across the region.

Terrified residents fled their homes, tall buildings swayed and hospitals and schools were evacuated after tremors spread as far away as Hanoi, parts of China and Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres from the epicentre.

Local relief workers in eastern State Sate said on Saturday that the death toll from the powerful earthquake that shook Shan State on Thursday night could very likely rise to more than 150. Burma’s state media reported on Saturday that 73 people had died as a result of the 7.0 magnitude tremor and its subsequent aftershocks on Thursday and Friday.[sic]

Tags: ASEAN Business, Burma Business, Burma Earthquake, Cambodia Business, China Business, Earthquake Burma, Earthquake Myanmar, Earthquakes in Asia, Laos Business, Malaysia Business, Myanmar Business, Myanmar Earthquake, Shan State, Singapore Business, Thailand Business, Vietnam Business
Posted in Myanmar (Burma) Business | No Comments »

The tragic situation in Japan (a country recently plagued by Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, and finally Nuclear Meltdown)  is apparently causing other nations in East Asia and Southeast Asia to rethink their options with regard to the proliferation of nuclear power plants. A recent posting on the website AsiaOne.com discussed some of these issues in some detail. To quote directly from the website AsiaOne.com:

Singapore – Japan’s nuclear crisis is likely to prompt Southeast Asian states to look more carefully at their plans to tap atomic energy for power generation, the head of the regional bloc said Monday.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said Japan’s struggle to prevent a reactor meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant will have a “psychological” impact on some ASEAN members.

“They will continue to explore, but I think the sense of urgency will certainly be contained a little bit,” Surin told reporters on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in Singapore.

The administration of this blog highly encourages readers to click on the links above to read more of this article.

Clearly, a disaster of the magnitude of the events unfolding in Japan can have a tremendous “psychological” effect around the world, but what is interesting about the above quotation is the fact that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional organizations that is becoming increasingly important in geopolitical matters, seems to be uniformly ambivalent towards nuclear power as of the time of this writing. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Thailand, an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is rethinking its position on the issue of nuclear power. To quote directly from Eco-Business.com:

Thailand has frozen its plans to build its own nuclear power plants in the wake of the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan following a series of meltdowns at the quake-hit power complex in Fukushima.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban announced yesterday that the government would indefinitely halt all plans to build nuclear facilities in the Kingdom.

Again readers are highly encouraged to click on the links above to read more from this posting.

In this blogger’s personal opinion, this decision to “freeze” plans for a Thai nuclear plant is both prudent and necessary. The decision is prudent because it provides the Thai government and people the opportunity to watch the events in Japan unfold. This will provide the Thais with the opportunity to see the extent of the problem in Japan and this opportunity will allow Thai authorities to take a firsthand look at the possible dangers inherent in constructing and maintaining a nuclear facility. Such measures are necessary because failure to be prudent could be costly later, as evidenced by the situation in Japan. This nuclear disaster in Japan is obviously no one’s “fault,” but perhaps failure to take into consideration the fact that Japan, and the reactors present therein, is situated upon one of the most tectonically active locations on Earth may help to explain the nuclear disaster. At this time, fixing the blame for this tragedy should not be at the forefront of people’s minds as the brave Citizens of Japan struggle to overcome this situation, but evaluating the proliferation of nuclear facilities in the ASEAN with a critical eye may help avoid such tragedies in the Southeast Asia of the future.

As economic activity in the ASEAN region, China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia expands it stands to reason that energy needs will remain an acute concern for the business community as well as governmental authorities, but such considerations would appear to be being weighed in light of the recent events in Japan, as well they should be.

For related information please see: business in China.

Tags: ASEAN, ASEAN Atomic Energy, ASEAN Business, Asian Business, ASsociation of Southeast ASian Nations, Atomic Energy in Asia, Burma Business, Cambodia Business, China Business, Fukushima, Japan Crisis, Japan Nuclear Meltdown, Laos Business, Myanmar Business, Nuclear Disaster, Nuclear Energy in Asia, Surin Pitsuwan, Suthep Thaugsuban, Thailand Business
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