ASIAWATCH - Brief Article

Business Asia, May 19, 2000

Latest news from the region

* South Korea

North Korea has agreed to open its air space to South Korea for the first time in half a century to allow President Kim Dae Jung to travel to the landmark summit in Pyongyang, Agence France-Presse reported. Seoul hasn't announced whether Kim plans to travel to the summit by land or air. The June 12-14 meeting between Kim and North Korean leader Kim Jong II will be the first such high-level discussion since both sides were divided in 1945.

* Indonesia

Indonesia will hand over control of licences to exploit forests to state companies, taking it from private loggers in an attempt to prevent rampant logging, the Straits Times said, citing Forestry and Plantations Minister Nur Mahmudi Isma'il.

* Japan

Renting office space in Tokyo and Osaka has become more expensive as many new buildings are being equipped with high-speed communications networks and made earthquake resistant, an April survey by Nikkei English News showed. The index for new office building rents rose 8.5 per cent in Toyko and 10 per cent in Osaka since the previous survey in October 1999.

* Philippines

The Philippine government may have to pare this year's export target because of the air dispute that has ended direct flights with Taiwan, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported, citing Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas.

* Singapore

Singapore rejected implementing a system where callers, instead of cell phone and pager owners, would pay for incoming calls made to these devices, the Straits Times said, citing a statement from the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), a government regulatory body.

* Taiwan

The incoming government of President-elect Chen Shui-bian may avoid using the term "special state-to-state relationship" to characterise links with mainland China because it causes "misunderstanding", the Taiwan News reported.