Singapore ranks second in Asia in investment attraction
Singapore is the second most preferred city in Asia-Pacific for cross-border investments this year, according to the CBRE 2021 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey.
Singapore is the second most preferred city in Asia-Pacific for cross-border investments this year. (Photo: straitstimes.com)
Singapore (VNA) – Singapore is the secondmost preferred city in Asia-Pacific for cross-border investments this year, accordingto the CBRE 2021 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey.
DesmondSim, head of research for Southeast Asia at CBRE – a global commercial realestate services company, said Singapore remains an important hub for foreigncorporations looking to access Southeast Asia.
The survey notes that Singapore is turning out to be a viable alternative toChina’s Hong Kong for companies setting up Asia-Pacific headquarters.
Theupbeat news comes in the wake of the Economic Development Board’s report thatSingapore attracted about 17.2 billion SGD (12.9 billion USD) in fixed assetinvestments last year amidst the pandemic.
Japan’sTokyo topped the study due to the availability of high-quality assets andstrong liquidity. Seoul came in third, followed by Shanghai of China and Ho ChiMinh City of Vietnam.
Thesurvey polled 492 investors, who were mainly based in Asia-Pacific, betweenNovember 9 and December 14 last year.
Itrevealed that there was a broad-based improvement in market sentiments, with 60percent of investors intending to buy more real estate, the highest level since2016. The recent commencement of vaccination programmes in several countriesaround the world has further boosted market confidence.
Butinterest in the office sector, which used to be the most popular for investors,dipped with the rising adoption of remote working. Demand for retail and hotelsalso remained soft, the report added.
Meanwhile, logistics came up top as the most popular sector for investment, asthe pandemic drove the acceleration of e-commerce, boosting demand for thisasset class, the report said. Investors were also more interested in datacentres, as demand surged for video conferencing and other platforms to supportremote working. This has led to increasing requirements for data storage./.
Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at minus 5.8 percent last year, the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on January 4.
Singapore will harness four switches to transform and diversify energy supply, so as to achieve its vision of a clean and efficient energy future, Tan See Leng, Singaporean Second Minister for Trade and Industry, said at a parliament meeting on January 5.
The Ministry of Commerce reported that imports also rose 18% to 29.9 billion USD during the same period, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.1 billion USD. In May alone, Thailand posted a 4.6 billion USD trade surplus with the US and a 4.1 billion USD trade deficit with China.
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International flights were cancelled including Jetstar and Virgin Australia flights to cities across Australia, and flights of Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore's TigerAir and China's Juneyao Airlines.
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Univers said in a statement that the new centre will serve as a hub for innovation, bringing together digital intelligence and climate ambition to accelerate Sarawak's transition toward a low-carbon, tech-enabled economy.
The target is to be completely free from plastic waste within two years. This can only be achieved if all parties implement the initiative with strong discipline.
Indonesia is taking new steps to improve protections for fishery workers, amid concerns over low wages, harsh working conditions, and limited access to social welfare.
The 2025 ASEAN- the Republic of Korea (RoK) Connectivity Forum that opened in Jakarta on June 17 reaffirmed a shared commitment to shaping a connected, resilient future by advancing the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan.
The desk will serve as a service centre providing market intelligence, business licensing guidance, facilitating business cooperation, identifying potential investment projects, and harmonising regulatory policies between the two parties.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim noted that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for half of global energy consumption and 60% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2024. Despite this, regional countries, including eight of ten ASEAN member states, remain committed to climate goals, including net-zero emissions and tripling global renewable capacity by 2030.
Singapore is the second most preferred city in Asia-Pacific for cross-border investments this year. (Photo: straitstimes.com) 
