Asia Pacific

China’s slower growth stalling price recovery for B.C. commodities

The relationship between Beijing and Naypyidaw has gone downhill since the end of nearly half a century of military rule in 2011. Burmese have been vocal in expressing what they see as Chinese economic colonialism plundering not just their forests, but their resources in general.

Reproduction furniture from the last 700 years is affordable and has spawned a huge industry with thousands of workshops and showrooms across the country. There is no reliable information about how large this sector has grown as Chinese seek to furnish their homes and apartments with echoes of their country’s imperial past.

China, oil, coal and hogs. What do any of these commodities have to do with each other? According to a recent Bank of Canada analysis, the dizzying drop in oil prices has a lot to do with China.

A software company in the Southeast Asia oil sultanate of Brunei has developed a program that facilitates the precision flying of drones.

Thailand’s military regime says it is not going to allow the country’s money-losing flag carrier, Thai Airways International, to go bankrupt.

Burma’s Ministry of Finance is to significantly increase taxes on tobacco and alcoholic beverages starting in the 2015-16 fiscal year, which starts in April.

Investment in Australia’s large-scale renewable energy projects shrank by 88% last year amid a political stalemate over objectives for the sector.

The good news is that Myanmar, also known as Burma, is going to start paying pensions as part of the government’s “strategic social protection plan.” The bad news is that state pensions may be restricted to people over 100 years old.

One of the more strange spin-offs from Russia’s absorption of Crimea last year is that Cambodia has gained a music festival.