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Tuesday 6 May 2025
Japanese companies significantly boost investment in India following 'Make in India' and PLI schemes
According to a report by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, the number of Japanese companies investing in India has shown significant growth over the past decade, particularly following key government initiatives aimed at boosting local manufacturing
LATEST STORIES
Friday 4 July 2025
Acer Cyber Security to expand localized services in Southeast Asia with focus on Thailand
Acer Cyber Security Inc. announced plans to broaden its localized cybersecurity services across Southeast Asia in the second half of 2025, prioritizing Thailand as its key market. The company seeks to leverage its technology expertise and improve its sales partner network amid increasing regional demand
Friday 4 July 2025
Acer Medical wins Singapore approval for AI bone density screening software
Acer Medical, a smart healthcare subsidiary of Acer Group, has secured market approval from Singapore's Health Science Authority (HSA) for its AI-assisted diagnostic software, VeriOsteo OP, designed to detect abnormal bone mineral density. This marks the software's official entry into the Singaporean medical market
Friday 4 July 2025
Communication suppliers respond to Trump tariffs with cautious diversification
On June 2, US President Donald Trump announced a trade agreement imposing a 20% tariff on imports from Vietnam and a 40% tariff on transshipped products. The new tariffs have garnered significant attention within the network communication industry, particularly in Taiwan, where many manufacturers have relocated production to Vietnam, targeting the US market
Friday 4 July 2025
US-Vietnam tariff deal narrows gap, but transshipment rules remain a black box
US President Donald Trump has confirmed a preliminary tariff framework with Vietnam that lowers duties on Vietnamese exports to the US from 46% to 20%. However, the deal includes a separate 40% tariff on transshipped goods routed through Vietnam from other countries. In return, Vietnam will eliminate all tariffs on US imports, granting American products full access to its market
Friday 4 July 2025
Vietnam tariff deal triggers SEA jitters for Taiwan's PCB supply chain
Less than a week ahead of the tariff truce deadline, US President Donald Trump announced that the Commerce Department had struck a deal with Vietnam. Under the agreement, Vietnamese exports to the US will be subject to tariffs of 20% to 40%, with the highest rate applying to goods rerouted through Vietnam from third countries
Friday 4 July 2025
Thailand moves to limit foreign workers at PCB plants amid trade tensions with China
Thailand plans to restrict foreign employment at manufacturing facilities to 70% local workers, targeting Chinese companies suspected of using the country to circumvent US import restrictions, as Taiwan and China PCB makers expand operations there
Friday 4 July 2025
Trump's Vietnam tariff deal eases some market uncertainty, but 40% transshipment clause raises new risks

President Donald Trump announced that the US has reached a new tariff agreement with Vietnam, lowering tariffs on Vietnamese exports to the US from a previously reciprocal rate of 46% to 20%. While the tech and electronics industries generally welcomed the announcement, experts say the real game-changer may lie in a lesser-discussed clause: a 40% tariff on transshipped goods. The details of its implementation—and the criteria for what qualifies as transshipment—remain unclear

Friday 4 July 2025
New US-Vietnam tariff pact prompts display makers to double down in Vietnam
On July 2, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a tariff agreement with Vietnam. This agreement marks the first trade deal between the Trump administration and an Asian country, excluding China, signaling a shift in US trade policy in the region
Friday 4 July 2025
Vietnam tariff negotiations mark Asia's first; optical industry acknowledges varied impact
Vietnam has become the first Asian country to complete reciprocal tariff negotiations with the US, with optical manufacturers including AOET and Ability operating production facilities in Vietnam
Thursday 3 July 2025
Radiant merges three companies in two years to fuel meta-optics expansion
Radiant Opto-Electronics, a major manufacturer of backlight modules, acquired Finnish optics company Nanocomp in August 2023. Just over a year later, in September 2024, Radiant fully acquired Danish meta-optics firm NIL Technology ApS (NILT)
Thursday 3 July 2025
Trump Vietnam trade deal hits Chinese transshipment with higher tariff
US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping trade deal with Vietnam, proposing tariffs on Vietnamese and transshipped goods while securing zero-tariff access for American products, especially SUVs, in Vietnam, pending confirmation from the White House and Hanoi
Wednesday 2 July 2025
VinFast opens second factory in Vietnam, plants in India and Indonesia to follow
VinFast has opened its second factory in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam, to ramp up compact EV production. The new facility will support the launch of models like the VF 3 and Minio Green, aiming to boost domestic supply and exports while reinforcing the company's regional expansion strategy
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Thailand's 70% local hiring rule challenges Taiwanese PCB expansion
Taiwanese PCB manufacturers expanding in Thailand face a challenge as new government rules require foreign-invested firms to have at least 70% local employees and no more than 30% foreigners, especially at mid- and senior levels. This policy, meant to boost local workforce development, may complicate hiring as companies ramp up production in the second half of 2025
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Taiwanese IC packaging and testing advances into Malaysia for auto and robotics
Since US President Donald Trump championed the "Made in America" initiative, technological competition between the US and China has intensified, rapidly escalating global geopolitical risks. Overseas customers have successively adopted "non-China" and "non-Taiwan" manufacturing policies, driving a new wave of semiconductor supply chain restructuring. The future division of regional manufacturing roles is becoming increasingly clear
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Singapore bets on AI governance and manufacturing to anchor tech giants
Singapore is positioning itself as a trusted AI hub through a US$740 million five-year investment plan while leveraging political neutrality and supply chain advantages to attract global manufacturers amid rising geopolitical tensions