The Business Times
business-time-50

Chris Humphrey

THE WRITER IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EU-ASEAN BUSINESS COUNCIL

emailbtnews@sph.com.sg
Companies in Asean increasingly encounter barriers in other forms, including differing product standards, import and export restrictions, and local content rules.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Asean’s biggest trade problem is no longer tariffs. It is friction

2026-11-02T23:15:00.000Z
Asean is now in a position to revisit the idea of a bloc-to-bloc agreement with the EU.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

EU and Asean at 50: time for bold action

2026-06-15T23:00:00.000Z
Asean's green transition and broader economic future depend on the region's ability to ensure supply chain integrity.

Why Asean needs to pay more attention to supply chain integrity

2026-04-21T23:00:00.000Z
The majority of business sentiment survey respondents view Asean as the region with the best economic opportunities, far outpacing India and China. Its attraction is not hard to understand. 

How Asean can rewrite the global supply chain map

2025-09-17T23:00:00.000Z
A hospital ward in Manila. Despite ongoing reforms, public healthcare spending across Asean averages just under 4% of gross domestic product, far below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of over 9%.

Stopgap or strategy? The real cost of underfunding healthcare in Asean

2025-05-06T23:00:00.000Z
As the first country in Asean to forge a trade deal with the European Union and, more notably, the first to be negotiating a digital trade agreement with the bloc, Singapore shines as a beacon of success in EU-Asean relations.

Strengthening interaction: Singapore’s role in EU-Asean ties

2024-04-16T21:00:00.000Z
Counterfeit watches being prepared to be destroyed in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug 31, 2023. Buyers need to understand the implications of these fake goods – such as the use of toxic ingredients or child labour, for example.

Lost revenues, organised crime and health risks

2023-09-04T21:00:00.000Z
Despite the elevation to a “strategic partnership”, the relationship between Asean and the EU is often rocky with several irritants at play.

EU-Asean trade relations – where next?

2023-06-28T22:00:00.000Z
People walk in front of the Sokha hotel during the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Cambodia in August. As a whole, Asean has remained an attractive investment destination despite the decline in foreign direct investment during the pandemic.

With Asean on the rise, European businesses cannot risk playing catch-up

2022-10-09T11:25:25.000Z
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