Even though recovery across the South-East Asian region has been uneven with the Delta variant, most countries’ GDP including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have risen back up to pre-pandemic levels – with the exception of Thailand, which is still at 2 percent below pre-pandemic levels as its tourism industry struggled with travel and mobility restrictions. It was noted that Vietnam was not particularly affected by the Delta variant wave, and hence did not experience large lockdowns that impacted its economy as much as Malaysia and the Philippines did. Singapore, on the other hand, was able to take advantage of the increase in demand for consumer electronics globally to increase its GDP growth by 7.6 percent last year. Across the region, there is a marked lag in the recovery of the services sector in terms of accommodation, food and retail, but that is expected to increase with the reopening of borders and easing of travel restrictions. However, China’s … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s economy to grow more than 6.5 percent in 2022
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Two senators call for FTC probe into TikTok over U.S. data access
The request on Tuesday from Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Republican Marco Rubio followed a Buzzfeed report saying the short video app permitted TikTok engineers and executives in China to repeatedly access private data of U.S. users. The senators said such access raised questions over TikTok's claims to lawmakers and users that the data was protected. "In light of repeated misrepresentations by TikTok concerning its data security, data processing, and corporate governance practices, we urge you to act promptly on this matter," the senators wrote FTC Chair Lina Khan. TikTok said Tuesday that access to data "is subject to a series of robust controls, safeguards like encryption for certain data, and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based leadership/security team." The company responded to the senators' letter by reiterating "TikTok has never shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government, nor would we if asked." The FTC confirmed it had received … [Read more...] about Two senators call for FTC probe into TikTok over U.S. data access
Electronics giants leading foreign investment bounce
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) reported last week by the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association (VEIA) that Apple has moved 11 factories from Chinese businesses in the supply chain to Vietnam, while other assemblers like Foxconn, Luxshare, Pegatron, and Wistron are ramping up production capacity in Vietnam. Do Thi Thuy Huong, general secretary of the VEIA, said that the electronic components manufacturing industry of Vietnam has its own advantages for those looking to relocate supply chains out of China to neighbouring countries. “A number of high-tech groups have been cultivating their projects in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, and they will also do the same in some other potential localities,” Huong said. Last week Sandeep Mehta, president of India’s Adani Ports & SEZ, announced on behalf of Adani Group that it would pour $10 billion into Vietnam. It is part of a $100 billion package that Adani Group would like to invest overseas. … [Read more...] about Electronics giants leading foreign investment bounce