Philippines: China and the Philippines signed two major agreements last week. The first agreement, the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation, is a bilateral relations road map for the next five years. The second, the Philippines-China Consular Agreement, is the first consular agreement that the Philippines has negotiated with another nation. This agreement includes notification of detention of Filipino nationals, and a framework for repatriation disputes. Some future goals include strengthening political, economic and tourism exchanges between the the countries. They also wish to cooperate on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Malaysia: Malaysia and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement worth US$1.8 billion on Oct. 26.
Under the agreement, which takes effect next year, Malaysia will progressively eliminate import taxes on 10,293 products from New Zealand, including paper, plastics and automotive components, by 2016. New Zealand will scrap the import levy on all 7,238 products imported from Malaysia by 2016, including cocoa products, carpets and tires.
SNIP
New Zealand, one of the world’s more open economies, joins the European Union and Australia in seeking greater access to Southeast Asia’s markets. Australia and New Zealand’s free-trade agreement with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will take effect next year, Australia said Oct. 25.
Trade between Malaysia and New Zealand increased by 46 percent last year to $1.8 billion, with Malaysia exporting $1.1 billion and importing about $800 million from New Zealand. New Zealand is one of many nations currently seeking to expand trade in Southeast Asia.
Vietnam: The IMF has stated that Vietnam has not requested special assistance in regard to its currency issues. In an effort to boost its foreign exchange reserves, Vietnam is scheduled to borrow $1 billion a year from Japan, 2010-2012. An advisory mission from the IMF is currently in Vietnam providing guidance on potential issues Vietnam will face in 2010.
East Timor: In an update to a story discussed previously on this blog, The suspected mass murderer, Maternus Bere, has been deported to Indonesia from East Timor after much controversy. Facing no charges in Indonesia, Mr. Bere is a free man.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
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