Our Focus Areas

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

January 16, 2024

As China’s economy slows, Africa stands at a critical juncture

With Chinese lending to Africa shrinking, the continent must find ways to support its own development. It could do so by increasing internal trade, diversifying tradeable goods away from commodities, and developing its relationship with the U.S.

December 20, 2023

In a more divided world, ‘superconnector’ Hong Kong must get creative

In a more competitive world with multiple economic hubs, the once-dominant influence of East-West superconnectors is waning. Hong Kong must capitalise on the Greater Bay Area, Belt and Road Initiative and focus on ‘sweet spot’ sectors where China and other regions seek better cooperation.