IV. International
(04-01-06)
.
In the Asia-Pacific
region, Airbus is king. Its European parent, EADS,
is considering manufacturing planes in
China. Final decision is
expected between July and September.
.
A little
publicized war has raged between Muslim Malay insurgents
and Bangkok’s army since 2002. It is now the talk in
international jihadist circles, both in cyberspace and
in the network of radical-controlled mosques. They may
be preparing to take over the Malay insurgency.
.
If this happens, the biggest losers are Malay Muslims
who have been fighting for autonomy since their land was
annexed by the
Kingdom of Siam
in 1902. The arrival of professional jihadists is a
proven kiss of death, including those with the most
legitimate grievances.
.
Asia-Pacific IT sector is set to expand nearly
twice as fast as its North American in the five years to
2009, contributing more than 1 million new jobs, said a
recent report.
.
Government regulators
still set the thermostat for homes, classrooms and
offices in
China. Under
the policy which goes back to the 1950s, it provides
heat to the northern half and none to the southern half.
.
China refuses to take back an estimated 38k citizens who
have been denied immigration to the US and have clogged
detention centers at federal expenses, DHS secretary
said.
. Last year,
US issued nearly 8k visas to Chinese-born children
adopted by American parents. More than 50k children have
left China for US since 1992.
.
Pres. Bush will welcome
Chinese president Hu Jintao on April 20 to discuss a
full range of regional and international issues,
including the war on terror, nonproliferation, advancing
freedom and promoting Asia and beyond.
.
President Chen Shui-bian
will soon open debate on a new constitution for
Taiwan,
including the explosive issues of sovereignty, territory
and formal independence for the island.
.
He added that
practically speaking, political opposition to such
controversial changes makes it unlikely they will be
approved anytime soon by the opposition-controlled
legislature.
.
Taiwan has laid down
strict rules for amending the constitution. Any change
must be approved by ¾ majority in the Legislative Yuan
and then endorsed in a referendum by a majority of those
eligible to vote.
.
The Bank of
Japan
replaced its emergency monetary policy with specific
numbers for the first time that describe a desirable
inflation range.
.
In a nation that once
provided itself on being a one-class society, where CEOs
didn’t earn that much more than their middle managers.
Tokyo’s increasingly polarized lifestyles have become
part of a furious debate over a growing income gap.
. The
Japanese economy, expanding 3x faster than that of the
US, is poised to
regain its role as
Asia’s key growth
driver, since Asian Development Bank Chief
Haruhiko Kuroda.
.
Because of limited water
resources,
Singapore is
turning treated waste water to potable water through
micro-filtration, reverse osmosis and ultra violet
technologies. The quality of reclaimed water exceeds the
standard set by the US EPA and World Health
Organization (WHO) and is cleaner than other sources
of Singapore’s water.
. Singapore
will invite casino operators & leisure companies to
submit formal proposals for the second of its
billion-dollar integrated resorts on 4/28, said the
Singapore
Tourism Board.
. Singapore
will produce Subaru rally cars. The cars
manufactured will be Group N vehicles, production
vehicles outfitted with safety equipment in compliance
with Federation Intl. de l’Automobile standards.
.
China’s Central Bank
warned its lenders about the influx of high-quality
counterfeit American $100 bills, which US alleges are
made by North
Korea.
.
Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors
accounted for a combined 11.6% of Chinese car sales in
2005, although they had only entered the market in 2002,
the last of the big foreign brands to arrive.
.
Carl Icahn associate Steel Partners put further
pressure on KT&G when it hinted at a tender offer
for the South Korean tobacco and ginseng company.
.
A cream locally proven
to work against the most common type of skin cancer won
a gold medal for a Philippine scientist (Rolando
de la Cruz) at the prestigious International
Investors Forum in
Nuremberg,
Germany. His
“DeBCC” cream, developed from cashew nuts and other
local herbs was chosen from over 1500 as the most
significant invention of 2005.
.
Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo authorized the government
to make an additional P5k to all national employees in
the form of performance bonus.
.
US aid to RP has been slashed to $83 million in FY 2007,
from $87 million in 2006, a loss of $6 million in
foreign military assistance and development assistance.
In contrast, military and economic aid to Indonesia and
other Asian countries has been increased, because of
American perception that RP is an unreliable ally and
the growing closeness of Manila to Beijing.
.
The Bango Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
expects the country’s balance of payments (BOP)
surplus to drop to $1.6 billion, from $2.4 billion in
2005.
.
The King of
Thailand
called last week the biggest gathering of privy
councilors in many years for consultation on the
political situation.
.
The Supreme Administrative Court last week ruled
against the government’s privatization plan of Egal,
Plc, the state-owned electricity company,
encouraging opponents to step up calls for the PM’s
resignation.
.
The Securities & Exchange Commission has ordered
SC Asset to disclose to the public details
related to its shareholding structure.
.
During a visit to
Indonesia,
Secretary of State Rice praised the country’s efforts to
prod Burma
on human rights, and defends US anti-terrorism policies.
.
Indonesia has failed to reach a decision on a dispute
between state oil firm Pertamina and
ExxonMobil on the operation of the Cepu
oilfield. It involved more than $2 billion development.
.
Regional governments must improve regulations, say
investors. Local administrations must promote their
areas as good places to do business instead of scaring
investors with a myriad of inconsistent regulations.
.
In an effort to restore
efficiency and competitiveness to the country’s steel
industry, VP Jusuf Kalla has told state-owned steel
producer PT Krakatan Steel to built its new plant
in resource-rich
Kalimantan.
.
Intel
plans a $300-million chip assembly and testing plant in
Vietnam,
marking a boost for the country’s ambitions to become a
high-tech powerhouse.
. Scientists
for Vietnam’s Chemistry Institute have
successfully synthesized the main element of Tamiflu
– oseltamivir. Although only 2.5 grams had
been produced, it was a breakthrough in the making of
the anti-viral that can be a primary defense against
bird flu.
.
A government decree (22/2006/ND-CP) took effect last
week allowing wholly foreign-owned banks to open in
Vietnam, to operate in the form of branches, joint
ventures or entirely foreign-owned companies.
.
The Tata Group
has raised the stake in its showdown with Aditya
Brila by offering to buy out the share held by its
partner in Indian telecom company Idea Cellular.
.
Morgan Stanley
is planning to invest up to $1 billion in Indian real
estate over the next 5 to 7 years t take advantage of
liberalized foreign investment rules that are
accelerating the country’s urbanization.
.
India is increasingly
becoming a must on resumes for international talent in
the IT sector.
.
The much-aligned BPO sector is drawing flak. Consultant
KPMG has found that more than 1 in 3 BPO
employers believed that their staff were more likely to
defraud their organizations than anybody else.
.
Engineering degrees with AICTE (All
India Council for
Technical Education)
approval would have an adverse impact on academic and
employment prospects of students.
