Southeast Asia’s major economies drew more foreign direct investment (FDI) combined than China for the second straight year last year, as growth in their giant neighbor cooled. However, by country, inflows into the region were uneven, swayed by political change and the varying costs of doing business.
Overall FDI into Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam rose to a record US$128 billion last year, estimates compiled by Thomson Reuters show.
That surpassed the US$119.56 billion that flowed into China. FDI into the Philippines grew the fastest, at 66 percent, while in Thailand, where the military seized power last year, inflows fell. FDI into Indonesia, the region’s biggest economy, rose about 10 percent even though it was an election year.
As China’s troubled manufacturing sector loses momentum, Chinese businesses will be venturing abroad to cut operating costs and to search for new markets, economists say. Manufacturing powerhouses in Southeast Asia should pay heed.
“Rising wages in China are leading low-end manufacturers to look for other low-cost locations for their factories, with countries like Vietnam and the Philippines looking like attractive alternatives,” Capital Economics’ Asia economist Dan Martin said. “ASEAN is also a large market in its own right, and one with good long-term growth prospects. Given the general slowdown in other emerging market regions in recent years, it is starting to stand out.”
The Philippines, the second-fastest growing major economy in Asia, attracts investors with its strong economic fundamentals. However, one concern is the continuity of economic policies following next year’s general elections. That means some investment decisions might be postponed.
Slumping commodity prices could pinch on FDI inflows into resource-rich Indonesia and, to a lesser extent, Malaysia. Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who took office in October last year, is seeking more foreign investment in manufacturing to counter the volatile resources sector.
However, Indonesia has many improvements to make, particularly in its business infrastructure, to successfully challenge Thailand, the region’s manufacturing leader.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
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