Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.
Elina Noor
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The potential is clear for both India and Indonesia to transform their demographic booms into engines of domestic demand while positioning themselves as alternatives to China for labor-intensive manufacturing.
Source: Financial Times
At last, long-suffering investors in India’s economy have something to cheer about. On Friday, the country announced steep corporate tax cuts, sending the value of its main stock index up 6 per cent in dollar terms on the day and another 3 per cent on Monday.
The tax cut is significant, with the rate for manufacturing now on a par with low-rate jurisdictions such as Singapore. The message is that India is open to business, and that it aims not just to assuage investors’ concerns but to set a new path for growth. India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has been meeting investors and Indian diaspora on a US tour this week to make sure the message gets through.
It is about time. In a low-growth world, India and its regional neighbour Indonesia became investor favourites, boasting a combination that the developed world lacks: large populations and favourable demographic trends...
This article was originally published in the Financial Times.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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