Jul. 30 – Business reading for the beach….here at Asia Briefing (proud owner of the various Briefing brands), we’ve given in to the heat of summer, put on our swim shorts and are providing our readers with a complimentary special summer annual to download especially for August. Our first Asia Briefing summer special has arrived.

What’s in it? Business reading for the beach, a mixture of Asia business, culture and some fun stuff, all together in one handy, 20-page download.

Included: the top ten most popular articles from China Briefing, India Briefing, Vietnam Briefing and 2point6billion.com this year to date (over a million views combined on those), plus commentary and updates on them; the top ten Asia tourist destinations, photos and reviews; the best of Asia blogs – from China, India, Vietnam and the rest of Emerging Asia, find out which blogs we liked and why; and Publisher Chris Devonshire-Ellis’s fiendish summer quiz – “So You Think You Know Asia?”– with prizes to be won. » Read rest of the article

Jul. 30 – The latest issue of DPRK Business Monthly is now available for complimentary download.

This issue analyzes North Korea’s growing trade with China and contains an edited version of the latest North Korea Report from the Institute for Far Eastern Studies. As inter-Korean commerce has all but dried up in the wake of the Cheonan incident, trade between North Korea and China appears to have continued to grow. According to Chinese customs statistics released on July 6, trade with North Korea from January to May amounted to US$983.63 million; 18.1 percent more than the US$833.07 million reported for the same period last year. » Read rest of the article

Jul. 28 – Reliance Industries Ltd., India’s largest private company by market value, reported a rise of 32.3 percent in first quarter net profits on Tuesday, thanks in part to higher than expected output from its offshore oil and gas fields.

It was the third straight quarter that the Indian conglomerate posted an increase in net profits, culminating in profits of Rs. 48.51 billion (US$1.04 billion) for the April-June period, up from last year’s Rs. 36.66 billion (US$786 million). » Read rest of the article

Jul. 23 – There has been more intra-regional investment happening in Asia due to a decline in in foreign direct investment from developed countries, says the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) during the release of its World Investment Report 2010 yesterday.

“FDI in South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia has already started to rebound and is likely to pick up speed as the region plays a leading role in the global economy recovery,” said the UNCTAD report. It cited that intra-regional FDI accounted for as much as half of the region’s inward FDI activity. » Read rest of the article

Jul. 21 – U.S.-based manufacturing conglomerate Honeywell has already won three contracts for Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China’s upcoming C919 civil aircraft program and hopes to win several more by the end of 2010, according to the company’s head of Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

“We have submitted proposals for several mechanical and avionic parts,” Honeywell’s EMEA Chief Paolo Carmassi said in an interview with Reuters on Monday at the Farnborough Air Show. “Final decisions should be made in the weeks to come.” » Read rest of the article

Jul. 21 – Speaking at a meeting on growth strategy with other financial policymakers on Tuesday, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar said that India’s achieving double-digit economic growth is “largely contingent” on the country’s farming sector expanding by 4 percent per annum.

“The economic crisis taught us a lesson and the way ahead is through inclusive growth. We cannot afford to exclude the rural population,” Chandrasekhar said. “Ultimately it was the rural sector that helped India sustain growth through the economic meltdown.” » Read rest of the article

Jul. 15 – China has overtaken India as the destination of choice for outsourcing and shared services according to a survey conducted by CFO Innovation for KPMG China.

The online survey asked 286 finance directors, financial controllers, CEOs, chief financial officers and senior executives their preferred location for outsourcing and shared services. » Read rest of the article

Jul. 14 – Chinese companies are taking the lead as China has become the biggest initial public offering market in the world in terms of amount of funds raised and the number of deals made, based on a report by accounting firm Ernst & Young.

Hong Kong is the natural choice for most mainland companies opting for a stock listing while small and high-growth information technology companies tend to opt for a listing in the United States. “China will maintain its lead in the IPO market as more mainland companies tap overseas capital pools even as they expand their business locally,” said Terence Ho, strategic growth markets and China IPO leader at Ernst & Young. » Read rest of the article

Jul. 12 – Asia must increase its domestic investment and consumption as a long-term policy issue said International Monetary Fund managing director in a speech Monday in Daejeon, South Korea.

“Asia has emerged as a global economic powerhouse… no one can doubt that Asia’s economic performance will continue to grow in importance,” Dominique Strauss-Kahn said during the opening of the conference, “Asia 21: Leading the Way Forward.” He refers to domestic investment and consumption as Asia’s second engine of growth that will include stronger social safety nets, better infrastructure and more flexible exchange rates. » Read rest of the article

Jul. 9 – Apple Inc. will open the doors to its second retail outlet in China this Saturday with a flagship store in Shanghai’s Pudong district as the company embarks on an effort to raise its market presence in the country.

The new shop will be a successor to Beijing’s flagship outlet, which has been in operation since 2008, and will be the “launching pad” for 23 more Apple stores scheduled to open over the next two years.

» Read rest of the article