Southeast Asia

United States (US) financial giant JPMorgan strikes terms for taking 100 percent stake in its Shanghai mutual fund joint venture (JV). US trade bodies write to US Department of Commerce head to warn about adverse effects of contemplated changes to US export controls of semiconductors and semiconductor equipment to China, stressing for the first time the importance of chips in healthcare equipment. Reported attempted Board coup at United Kingdom (UK) graphic chipmaker Imagination Technologies blocked by UK government. China rejects reported charge that it was donating masks to France on the condition Huawei could participate in France’s 5G network. Japan prepares massive supplemental budget to facilitate Japanese firms leaving China for Japan or Southeast Asia. Indonesia’s partial lockdown in Jakarta drives Japanese firms to temporary shutter their factories there. Korean regulatory authorities will conduct a comprehensive review of Germany’s Delivery Hero’s acquisition of Woowa Brothers, the operator of food delivery app Baemin. India’s Mahindra & Mahindra says it will not inject fresh funding into SsangYong Motor.

JPMorgan (China) intends to assume full ownership of all its mainland China operations by 2021 to take advantage of China’s financial sector opening. Chinese regulators approve United States (US) credit card firm Mastercard Inc.’s application to establish a bankcard clearing house joint venture. Peter Navarro urges the US to reduce its reliance on Chinese pharmaceutical and medical supplies. New US regulations expanding the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) with respect to the review of foreign direct investment (FDI) have gone into effect, with notable implications for Chinese FDI in the US. Coronavirus impact on supply chains and production in China accelerates move already occurring because of US-China trade war and rising labor costs in China. Japan is excluded from list of countries exempted from new CFIUS review ambit, but this may change. Merger of Korean shipbuilding giants potentially affected by Japanese filing of World Trade Organization petition, charging illegal subsidies. Korea’s SK Engineering & Construction wins mega-deal to build a beltway in Kazakhstan.