International News
Malaysian Builders Protest at Foreign Worker Ruling
A new initiative by the Malaysian government for construction firms to pay an increased levy for every foreign worker has resulted in protests from the industry. As of 1 January 2017, construction companies were required to pay a fee of USD413 per worker, up from USD213. Employers of the estimated 900,000 foreign workers believe this […]
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Vinci Invest in Indonesian Motorsport
Vinci Construction is to build a 120-hectare motorbike racing circuit and tourist complex on the Indonesian island of Lombok. The French company signed a USD500 million deal with the state-run Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), in the presence of French President Francois Hollande and President Joko Widodo of Indonesia. Abdulbar Mansoer, the head of ITDC, […]
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Malaysia Unveils Rail Route
The proposed route of the 600km East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) has been unveiled by the Malaysian government to allow a three-month window of feedback from the population. The USD13 billion Chinese-financed project is planned to start in the west near the capital Kuala Lumpur cutting across the peninsula and terminating near the Thai border […]
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China’s Capital Freeze Hits Malaysia Project
SCG Cement – Building Materials Company Ltd has expanded its Vietnam holdings with the purchase of Vietnam Construction Materials JSC for USD156 million. The Central Vietnam-based company has a cement production capacity of 3.1 million tons though SCG hopes to increase production through efficiency improvements. “Following this transaction, Siam Cement Group’s combined cement capacity across […]
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Chinese to Invest Usd10bn in Philippines
The Philippines Board of Investment has announced that five China-based firms have made applications to establish local companies, investing USD10 billion and aiming to create 15,500 jobs.Huili Investment Fund Management Co Ltd wants to construct a steel mill facility where its Chinese partners can build local factories.YDT International hopes to build a USD1.5 billion shipbuilding […]
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Lao Press Ahead With Mekong Dam
The Laotian government has announced it is to begin construction on the controversial USD2.3 million Pak Beng hydropower project in 2017. According to Lao Energy Minister Viraphonh Viravong, Lao intends to become the “Kuwait of hydropower in Southeast Asia”. The 912MW scheme is the third of up to eleven dams that the government of Lao […]
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Aluminium China 2017 to Unveil World’s Latest Aluminium Hi-tech
This year’s Aluminium China in Shanghai from 19-21 July is set to mark a new period of growth in the aluminium industry and reflect strengthening market conditions in China and across the world. Aluminium China 2017 will focus on the transformation driven by emerging new technologies in areas such as lightweight vehicle manufacturing and consumer […]
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Asia Property Awards 2017 Programme Revamped To Include 14 Markets
The 12-year-old programme, which was first launched in 2005 by Ensign Media in Thailand, also holds annual black-tie gala dinner events in Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia, playing host to up to 600 C-level executives, senior industry figures and VIPs at each event.
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Malaysia Mulls Rubber Roads
A pilot project has been completed in Malaysia to test whether roads there can be constructed using rubber. Famous around the world for its rubber production, Malaysia has access to an enormous amount of the material and used it in five 1km stretches of pilot roads to test its effectiveness. If the tests prove successful, […]
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Philippines Airport Bidding Heats Up
The bidding war between two of the Philippine’s richest men to build Manila’s new international airport heated up in February with both tycoons submitting increased bids. In response to a new bid by billionaire Henry Sy, the San Miguel Corp headed by Ramon Ang proposed a USD14 billion plan which will not require any subsidy […]
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