Salient to Investors:

Chua Hak Bin at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said:

 

  • Total foreign direct investment into Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand was $128.4 billion in 2103 versus $117.6 billion for China.
  • Rising foreign direct investment into Asean will remain a favorable structural trend over the next few years, given favorable demographics, competitive wages and geopolitical competition between the superpowers which remain the major investors.
  • China’s ability to attract investment may be hampered by higher manufacturing wages and an appreciating currency.
  • Indonesia’s large domestic market, low relative wages despite minimum wage increases and a weak rupiah make it attractive for lure foreign investment.

 

A Japan Bank for International Cooperation survey showed Indonesia has overtaken China and India as the most promising country for Japanese companies for business development.

A drop in China’s working-age population is robbing China of an engine of three decades of growth, whereas Southeast Asia’s developing nations show rising numbers of youth search for employment, luring companies seeking a cheap labor force and new domestic markets.

Read the full article at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-05/china-lures-less-investment-than-southeast-asia-bofa-reports.html

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