Our Focus Areas

April 9, 2024

Asian Supply Chain Champions in a New World of Trade

A new report by the Asia Business Council, featuring the Asia Manufacturing Diversification Index, assesses the preparedness of ten emerging Asian economies vis-à-vis China in a new world of global trade, as multinational businesses look to adopt “China-plus-one” or even “China-plus-many” strategies in export manufacturing, and intra-Asian trade continues to soar. It offers a strategic roadmap for countries aiming to increase their investment appeal by identifying new growth opportunities and overcoming obstacles in the face of global supply chain shifts and escalating trade tensions.

November 6, 2024

Asia Business Council Annual Survey 2024

The Asia Business Council conducted its 2024 survey of members in July and August 2024, offering a set of perspectives from CEOs and Chairmen of predominantly Asian businesses. Overall business sentiment was split, with 43 percent of respondents indicating optimism about business conditions improving in the next year, 11 percent foreseeing a worsening business environment,

November 26, 2024

How Asia can strengthen its trade, manufacturing as Trump returns

Staying ahead will require diversifying in hi-tech sectors, boosting workforce resilience and advancing sustainable supply chains

October 12, 2023

Strategies for Asian business navigating a new era

A collaborative article by the Asia Business Council and McKinsey delved into the perspectives of business leaders in Asia as they navigate an emerging and potentially more turbulent era, in terms of world order, technology, demographics, resource and energy systems, and financial capitalization. Overall, they believe the region can sustain its growth but will need strategic adjustments to address disruptions and volatility in a multipolar world.

July 25, 2024

One lesson Asia’s emerging manufacturing powerhouses can learn from China

Asian countries may suffer setbacks in their manufacturing ambitions if they aren’t able to produce more sustainably from the start and decarbonise rapidly

July 2, 2024

India needs women in workforce to fully tap economic potential

If India is to successfully double the size of its economy by 2030, the only viable path is raising the number of women in the workforce

May 14, 2024

How to best equip young people in Asia with digital skills

Cooperation among nations in the Global South has enabled developing economies to help each other through knowledge and technology transfers. Using this approach to address the digital infrastructure gap and build a highly skilled workforce can keep emerging countries from falling further behind.

April 17, 2024

Why India could soon dethrone China as world’s top consumer market

The speed of India’s rise in consumerism is outpacing China’s as the gap between the two countries’ markets continues to narrow. If it wants to maintain its lead as the world’s top market, China must broaden its focus to include rural areas and cater to often-overlooked consumer bases.

March 19, 2024

Asian economies must go green to keep their competitive edge

Increasingly, new cross-border environmental regulations like the EU’s carbon tax will leave countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia little choice but to play catch up or risk losing out on global trade. Asian markets can embrace sustainability through artificial intelligence, clean energy investments and more collaboration among industries.

February 21, 2024

Asia’s rising economies are more than ‘China Plus One’ destinations

The Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Thailand have benefited from global supply chain diversification and are poised to capitalize on their large labor pool and potential consumer market to reach the next level of development