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).
As multinationals look to diversify their supply chains and manufacturing facilities out of China, foreign investment in ASEAN is expected to accelerate. The industrial real estate sector should see strong growth across the region, particularly in Vietnam, where the supply of ready-built factories and warehouses is expected to increase by over 25 percent this year.
Tensions continue to simmer in the South China Sea as Covid-19, or ‘the coronavirus’ remains headline news. Will the viral outbreak drive the region closer together or farther apart? Either way, it’s possible that Vietnam stands the most to gain.