Brunei Investment Agency

Brunei's substantial foreign reserves are managed by the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA), an arm of the Ministry of Finance. BIA's guiding principle is to increase the real value of Brunei's foreign reserves while pursuing a diverse investment strategy, with holdings in the United States, Japan, Western Europe, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. ...

The Brunei Government encourages more foreign investment. New enterprises that meet certain criteria can receive pioneer status, exempting profits from income tax for up to 5 years, depending on the amount of capital invested. The normal corporate income tax rate is 30%. There is no personal income tax or capital gains tax. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - East Asia and the Pacific

Background Notes: Brunei, October 1998Released by the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific AffairsU.S. Department of StateOFFICIAL NAME: Brunei DarussalamPROFILEGeographyArea: 5,769 sq. km. (2,227 sq. mi.), slightly larger than Delaware.Cities: Capital--Bandar Seri Begawan.Terrain: East--flat coastal plains with beaches; west--hilly with a few mountain ridges.Climate: Equatorial; high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall.PeopleNationality: Noun and adjective--Bruneian(s).Population (1998 est.): 320,000.Annual growth rate: 2.5%.Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, other indigenous.Religion: Islam.Languages: Malay, English, Chinese; Iban and other indigenous dialects.Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--90%. (1996)Health: Life expectancy--74 years. Infant mortality rate(1996)--6.9/1,000. GovernmentType: Sultanate.Independence: January 1, 1984.Constitution: 1959.Branches: Executive--Sultan is both head of state and prime minister, presiding over an 11-member cabinet. Judicial (ba ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Trade and Development Agency Announces New Initiatives for Asia

Trade and Development Agency Announces New Initiatives for Asia ...

The APEC forum brings together 21 economies on both sides of the Pacific Ocean to promote regional economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment.    ...

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will sponsor three new initiatives in South and Southeast Asia, Director Thelma J. Askey announced in a series of press releases April 18. ... [Read More]

Background Notes: Asean

Background Notes: AseanPA/PCSource: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public AffairsDate: Mar 15, 19923/15/92Category: Country DataRegion: South AmericaCountry: ArgentinaSubject: Travel, History, Trade/Economics, International Organizations, Security Assistance and Sales[TEXT]Official Name: Association of Southeast Asian NationsMember states: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, thePhilippines, Singapore, and Thailand.PROFILEGeographyArea: 3 million sq. km. (1 million sq. mi.); about the size of the USeast of the Mississippi River, plus Texas and Oklahoma. Majorcities: Brunei Darussalam--Band ... [Read More]

Treaties in Force 2002 Index

 AppendixTable of ContentsPART 1: BILATERAL TREATIES AND OTHER AGREEMENTS   [Read More]

Treaties in Force - Index 2003

AFRICA331 AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (See under FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS)AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (See under FINANCE) AGRICULTURE (See also FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION; PATENTS) 331 AIRCRAFT (See AVIATION; TRADE AND COMMERCE)ALIENS333 ANTARCTICA (See also CONSERVATION) 334 ANZUS PACT (See Security Treaty under ... [Read More]

United States Seeks China as a Global Partner, State's Hill Says - US Department of State

China isn't just trading; it is also investing in the region.  China recently became one of the largest investors in Indonesia, buying into oil and gas interests.  China's investment in Indonesia's energy sector now exceeds US$1.2 billion.  And China is the largest foreign investor in some of the smaller economies in Southeast Asia; for example, China has recently become Cambodia's largest investor.  Even so, China's outward investment pales in comparison with that of the U.S.  China's cumulative realized investments overseas totaled approximately US$ 37 billion for all countries at the end of 2004; U.S. direct investment abroad stands at over US$ 2 trillion.  In ASEAN countries, the U.S. has invested over US$ 85 billion; Chinese investment doesn't yet reach US$ 2 billion.  ... [Read More]

Indonesia (05/05)

President Yudhoyono and his economic ministers have stated repeatedly their intention since taking office in October 2004, to improve the climate for private sector investment in order to raise the level of GDP growth and reduce unemployment. Though investment grew 15% in the second half of 2004, a significant shift from investment growth in 2003 of only 1.9%, many challenges remain. In addition to general corruption and legal uncertainty, businesses have cited a number of specific factors that have reduced the competitiveness of Indonesia's investment climate, including corrupt and inefficient customs services; non-transparent and arbitrary tax administration; inflexible labor markets that have reduced Indonesia's advantage in labor-intensive manufacturing; increasing infrastructure bottlenecks; and uncompetitive investment laws and regulations. By early 2005, significant reform efforts were underway in many of these areas. With the passage of a new copyright law in July 2002, and acc ... [Read More]