AEC Feed

The Malaysian government has agreed to extend a visa-exemption programme for Chinese tourists to December next year in view of |the increasing numbers of tourists from that country, said Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz.
He said Malaysia saw an increase in tourists from China from 1.13 million between January and August last year to 1.46 million tourists during the same period this year.
Nazri said the government had also agreed to extend the same privilege to tourists from India.“We introduced the same policy in February to Indian tourists.” 
He also noted that a study conducted by the ministry showed that tourists from China were attracted to Malaysia by their love for fresh seafood, wildlife and nature as well as duty-free shopping.
They also prefer Malaysia because of the short flying time, warm weather, beaches and tropical forests. – The Star
 
Vietnam to build more transparent govt, poised to be innovation hub in SE Asia 
Vietnam will continue to focus on restructuring the economy, renewing its growth model and integrating into the global production and value chain, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said.
Minh, who is also minister of foreign affairs, told a summit on Thursday: “With a young and reasonably well-educated population, Vietnam is poised to become an innovation hub in Southeast Asia.”
He said the country also attached great importance to “building a more transparent government to serve its people and businesses”.
To create ideal conditions for investors, the government has pledged to improve infrastructure, develop human resources and promote fair competition, he added.
Minh said the two-day international summit in Ho Chi Minh City would act as a platform to help local and foreign businesses as well as global financial institutes better understand Vietnam’s integration policies and development.
Summit chairman Jon Fasman, who is bureau chief of The Economist magazine in Southeast Asia, said Vietnam’s economy was still going strong, even though growth in emerging markets appeared to be slowing.
The Economist Intelligence Unit expects the country’s real GDP to grow by 6.8 per cent this year and growth should be even higher next year, he said. – Viet Nam News
 
Mega-projects to drive Indonesian construction amid slowdown in commercial property market 
The construction market in Indonesia will have to continue relying on the government’s ambitious effort to boost the country’s infrastructure next year as the commercial property market will remain dim.
According to research from BCI Economics, the analysis and forecasting arm of BCI Asia, the total value of construction for civil works, including infrastructure projects and utilities, is expected to rise by 7.69 per cent next year to 250.1 trillion rupiah (Bt668 billion).
BCI has identified power-plant projects as the highest contributor to infrastructure and utilities. The projects include the mega power plant in Batang, Central Java, with a capacity of 2 by 1,000 megawatts.
Massive toll-road projects will also play a key role in the infrastructure and utilities sector, as the government aims to build 1,000 kilometres of new toll roads before 2019.
The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry – the ministry with the largest infrastructure projects – has stated that it is looking to connect the Trans Java toll road with Surabaya, East Java, in 2018. – The Jakarta Post.