MANILA, Philippines — Growing trade tensions between the United States and China are reshaping traditional trade relationships, creating an opportunity for Southeast Asia to forge new economic partnerships, said Ayala Corp. chair Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. Zobel de Ayala sees the rivalry between the two economic superpowers as a major “swing factor” for the Association

Vijit Chao Phraya 2026 dazzles Bangkok's riverfront with lights, drones, fireworks, supporting local communities and night-time tourism.

Many Chinese working professionals are turning to postgraduate degrees jointly offered by local and overseas universities, seeking internationally recognised qualifications and technical skills that can boost their prospects with employers pursuing expansion abroad. More than 200,000 applications were submitted for master’s programmes jointly offered by Chinese and overseas universities in the current academic year, up 45 per cent from 2025-26, according to a 2026 report by New Oriental Vision...

MANILA, Philippines — Manila and other United States trading partners should not get their hopes up that US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit, along with the Republicans’ defeat in the midterm elections, will reverse Washington’s bruising tariff policies.  That was the warning issued by Peter Mumford, an analyst who heads the Southeast Asia arm of

MANILA, Philippines — Executive Secretary Ralph Recto urged businesses to turn regional partnerships and trade agreements into growth opportunities, speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Business and Investment Summit. Recto urged businesses to deliver on three key priorities aligned with Asean’s regional cooperation agreements: use regional agreements as opportunities for business development, invest

MANILA, Philippines — Asean Business Advisory Council Chair Jose Ma. Concepcion III on Saturday urged big businesses to help uplift smaller businesses across Southeast Asia so they too could reap the benefits of the region’s growth.  Speaking before hundreds of business executives at the Asean Investment Summit, Concepcion said the region’s prosperity must be practical and

Trade, investment, and economic leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday signed a landmark pact establishing a region-wide framework for cross-border digital trade and e-commerce, the first agreement of its kind in the world.

China is updating a law that has underpinned one of the most remarkable industrial transformations of our time. After two decades of rapid renewable-energy development, China is preparing to rewrite the rules that have guided, supported and guarded its energy revolution. The draft revision to China’s Renewable Energy Law was released on November 6 for public comment until December 5. Twenty years ago, China, having just joined the World Trade Organization, saw energy consumption surge as...

Another round of downward adjustments in the retail prices of petroleum products will greet motorists in the coming week.

This novel service allows foreign travelers to effortlessly convert major stablecoins such as USDT and USDC into Thai baht, enabling seamless everyday purchases by scanning standard Thai QR PromptPay codes without requiring a local domestic bank account.

Robin Zeng Yuqun, chairman of the Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), has maintained an upbeat image in recent weeks, telling a conference last month that battery storage was becoming “an indispensable new infrastructure for the power system”. But analysts are less optimistic about the industry’s near-term outlook, with some calling on Zeng to take stronger measures to deal with a crisis that has seen CATL’s market capitalisation plunge by nearly 50 per cent in six...

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto urged businesses to turn ASEAN partnerships and trade agreements into investments, jobs and growth opportunities, while helping smaller enterprises benefit from closer regional cooperation.

The Philippines on Saturday led the 28th ASEAN Economic Community Council Meeting in Manila, as ministers finalized proposals and initiatives to boost the economies of member states.

The Natural Resources and Environment Minister initiated an operation to dismantle unauthorized structures on Freedom land to uphold environmental regulations and protect public spaces.

Toxic contamination of the Sai River from unregulated mining has devastated the economy, environment, and livelihoods in Mae Sai district, forcing residents like Kanya to seek new business opportunities amidst ongoing health concerns.

MANILA, Philippines — Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) president Donald Lim has called on the government to ramp up efforts to modernize the country’s investment environment, saying efforts to promote the Philippines would be futile if rules are not at par with those in the rest of Southeast Asia. In a statement issued ahead

MANILA, Philippines — Investments pouring into the country’s economic zones reached a record P315.5 billion in 2026, eclipsing the P311.9-billion high set more than a decade ago in 2012. The record tally was as of Nov. 10, with more projects expected to be approved before yearend. READ: Peza raises 2027 goal; new record within reach It

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Saturday said it is closely monitoring air traffic situation in the United States after all flights were ordered grounded.

MANILA, Philippines — Travelers are in for a slight reprieve in the second half of November as the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has approved lower fuel surcharges for the period, following a decline in global jet fuel prices at the start of the month. In an advisory dated Nov. 12, the aviation regulator said a

Pop Mart International will once again send a giant float down Sixth Avenue later this month for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, but the company feels rather less buoyant than it did when it debuted at the event last year. The Chinese toymaker’s global ascent has stalled badly as the hype surrounding its Labubu dolls fades. Sales have plunged in recent months, dragging down the firm’s stock price and the net worth of its founder and CEO, Wang Ning. Wang now faces a giant...

MANILA, Philippines — The newly appointed Commissioner Rolando Ligon plans to accelerate the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) digital modernization program with a multi-year overhaul of its core information technology systems. In a statement a day after Ligon’s appointment, the BIR said the new commissioner plans to initiate a five-year program to upgrade its computer infrastructure

MANILA, Philippines — Over 30 civil society groups across Asia warned that Japan’s $10-billion energy financing drive for Southeast Asian economies could deepen the Philippines’ reliance on fossil fuels despite efforts to accelerate renewables buildout. The organizations said on Friday that pushing for further tie-ups with Japan could make Filipino consumers more vulnerable to oil

NLEX Corporation has expanded its electric vehicle (EV) charging network along its expressways, giving motorists more options to recharge while traveling between Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp.’s power arm signaled strong interest in the government’s coal mine auction and even praised the Department of Energy (DOE) for its controversial asset-surrender rule, a provision that has drawn the ire of incumbent operator Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC). Of the seven companies that attended a new pre-bid

MANILA, Philippines — Broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. slipped into the red in the third quarter of 2026, with sluggish advertising spending and the absence of election-related placements weighing on its revenues. In a disclosure on Friday, the company said it had incurred a consolidated net loss of P77.36 million from July to September, reversing the

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp. (SMC) reported a 40-percent drop in net income to P47.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, weighed down by unrealized foreign exchange losses and a high year-earlier base. The conglomerate said its 2025 results included a one-time gain from the Chromite transaction. Excluding that gain and other

MANILA, Philippines — JG Summit Holdings Inc.’s net income attributable to equity holders of the parent fell 33 percent to P12.5 billion in the first nine months of 2026, as higher jet fuel costs and a weaker peso weighed on its airline business. On Friday, the Gokongwei-led conglomerate pointed said the peso’s depreciation increased foreign exchange

MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN Corp. saw its losses widen by nearly a third in the first nine months of 2026, as weaker advertising demand and a shrinking cable subscriber base were further aggravated by “challenging market conditions” In a disclosure on Friday, the media company reported a consolidated net loss of P2.95 billion from January to

MANILA, Philippines — Local stocks fell for a third straight session on Friday, closing at their lowest level this year as a weaker peso and a downgrade to the country’s growth outlook weighed on sentiment. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) shed 67.06 points, or 1.18 percent, to close at 5,593.49, slipping below 5,600. READ:

Shopee, the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan and a leading e-commerce platform in Brazil, has launched  ShopeeFood, its food delivery service, in the Philippines. The service is now available in Metro Manila, making the Philippines the fifth Southeast Asian market where Shopee offers food delivery as part of its broader marketplace offering.