The Asia Business Council conducted its annual survey of members in July 2023. Nearly half of the respondents show a growing optimism about business conditions in the upcoming year, anticipating Asian economies will continue to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, economic challenges are at the forefront of their minds, with concerns about inflation, followed …
Biotech is especially important given the ageing population and economic ambitions of Hong Kong – and China as a whole. For the world, biotech protectionism will lead to more expensive treatments and greater health insecurity.
Much like carbon emissions, companies will soon be expected to monitor their impact on biodiversity. Measures to promote and preserve biodiversity will need to go beyond greenwashing practices like pledges to plant trees.
The steady rise of AI technology has left governments, industries and institutions scrambling to catch up and establish rules of the road. As a knowledge-based economy, Hong Kong can lead the way in building a regulatory framework that limits the harmful impact of AI and maximises its benefits.
This year’s survey indicated an uncertain outlook for Asian businesses. Economies across the region are enjoying a return to business as usual and recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the invasion of Ukraine has set off a chain of events that roiled global markets and left the world with no clear path …
The latest Asia Business Council survey shows firms are worried about politics increasingly encroaching on business and driving potential decoupling. Energy is the top concern amid high prices and the continuing fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In Asia, as a more internet-savvy and health and environmentally conscious consumer takes center stage, emerging technologies are offering new opportunities and innovative solutions for people from diverse backgrounds and geographies.
More companies are collaborating to explore how the technology can make operations more efficient, which could form the building blocks of the next-generation internet. Just as the internet allows information and innovations to be shared across borders, the world will benefit most from having an open metaverse.
With an abundance of capital and talent, Asia’s growing tech hubs are luring investors away from Silicon Valley. Start-ups seeking to solve global issues such as climate change, ageing-related illnesses and supply-chain bottlenecks will offer solid opportunities.
Supply-side constraints, loose monetary policy, geopolitical tensions and weakening consumer sentiment are just some of the issues weighing on business leaders’ minds. Asia’s economic vitality means it will remain a leading source of growth in the future, but expect more bumps on the road to recovery.
