China has a significant lead on EVs compared to Southeast Asia, where moves to embrace and capitalize on the opportunities offered by green vehicles remain nascent. All the same, signs of catchup are evident throughout the region.
Vietnam is emerging as a regional winner as a tempestuous 2020 becomes history and the world looks ahead to 2021.
On December 14, the United States and Japan issued a joint statement in support of Vietnam’s energy transition through LNG utilization. The statement made it clear that liquified natural gas (LNG) was key to ensuring Vietnam’s energy security, while reducing air pollution and assisting in transitioning to a low-carbon future.
Quebec and Ontario stole the spotlight in 2020, but 2021 may be BC’s year for Canadian mining.
While energy demand is down globally – by approximately 5% in 2020, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) – renewable energy rollout will continue to grow this year, and nowhere is that more true than in Vietnam, which is undergoing an offshore-wind bonanza.
Shifts in regional supply chains that began as a trade war between the United States and China are being hastened this year by the coronavirus pandemic. Broadly speaking, this will result in slowdown in offshoring to China and a redistribution of manufacturing foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Indonesia’s healthcare industry is a lucrative investment opportunity for foreign investors as the growth of its middle-class and the introduction of universal healthcare has driven demand in almost all aspects of the industry from hospitals to pharmaceuticals to medical devices.
In May 2020, Indonesia’s government made significant changes to the 2009 Mining Law – including the introduction of several new licenses – with the aim of encouraging more investment into the country’s downstream mining industry.
Val-d’Or, a sub-arctic town in North Quebec,is isolated from the global economic crisis: its economy is booming; fueled by rich gold deposits from the massive Canadian Malartic mine – and gold prices are surging, having reached over $1800, up from about $1300 last year.
Rising precious metal prices are changing the entire economics of mining because they reduce cut-off grades and make previously unviable orebodies economic, while drill results that may have been mediocre at US$1,400 gain attraction as prices rise, allowing junior exploration companies to tap new investment.