Author Archives: Ray Hervandi

American Volunteerism in Southeast Asia: Another Step Forward in Re-Engagement

By Ray Hervandi | Published: November 15, 2011

American volunteerism is expanding in Southeast Asia. The Peace Corps, a volunteer organization affiliated with the US government that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is growing beyond its traditional posts in the Philippines and Thailand to include active presence in Cambodia and Indonesia. Soon, American volunteers—not affiliated with the Corps—will also be active [...]

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US Direct Investment in Southeast Asia Increased by $23 Billion in 2010

By Ray Hervandi | Published: November 8, 2011

According to recently released figures from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Southeast Asian foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States is making a recovery from the effects of the Global Financial Crisis. While Southeast Asia’s FDI stock in the United States declined by 18 percent, or $4.9 billion, from $26.6 billion in [...]

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US Exported $70 Billion of Merchandise to SEA in 2010, a 61% Increase from 2001

By Ray Hervandi | Published: October 31, 2011

Southeast Asia, when taken as a whole, imported $70.4 billion of US merchandise in 2010, a 61-percent increase from the 2001 figure of $43.8 billion. This signals a return to the upward trend in US merchandise exports to the region following the disruption of the Global Financial Crisis, when such exports fell from a high [...]

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American Businesses on Southeast Asia: Increasingly Important and a Place to Expand

By Ray Hervandi | Published: October 21, 2011

Southeast Asia will continue to grow more important for American companies operating in the region. Bolstered by improved global economic prospects and easing financing constraints, American companies are expecting increased profits, expanded business opportunities, and more hiring from the region over the next two years. For many American companies, the region’s major attraction is its [...]

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The US Seafood Market and Southeast Asia

By Ray Hervandi | Published: July 27, 2011

Southeast Asia is an increasingly important player in the US seafood market. Although stagnant fish stocks, growing demand for seafood products, and chronic overfishing are constraining mature fishery sectors, such as the United States’, the same trends are bringing about opportunities for countries with developing fishery sectors that can pick up the slack in the [...]

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Derek Mitchell’s Senate Nomination Hearing for US Special Representative to Burma

By Ray Hervandi | Published: July 12, 2011

On June 29, 2011, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened to consider the nomination of Derek Mitchell to be US Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma with Ambassadorial rank. This hearing started the Senate confirmation process to fill the Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma position, which the US Congress established with [...]

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US-Southeast Asia Trade Triples over Last Two Decades

By Ray Hervandi | Published: May 24, 2011

Newly updated data from the Foreign Trade section of the US Census Bureau confirms that Southeast Asia, when taken as an entity, continues to be a major partner for US trade in goods. Over the last twenty years, US trade volume with Southeast Asia has tripled, from $45.9 billion in 1990 to $176 billion in [...]

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A Closer Look into US-ASEAN Goods Trade

By Ray Hervandi | Published: May 17, 2011

In a recently published Asia Pacific Bulletin, Falan Yinug, an International Trade Analyst at the US International Trade Commission, notes that “[a]ccording to official 2010 US statistics, ASEAN—if considered as an economic entity—is ranked as the United States’ fourth-largest export market and fifth-largest supplier of imports.” Reflecting its comparative advantage in the region, the United [...]

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