“In partnership with the people of this country, I identified ways that we can be a partner. We are committed to providing assistance, sharing expertise we have, and being a friend of the country. We tried to figure out how to address some of the challenges,” said Administrator Gayle Smith after finishing her first visit.

Her visit during April 29-May 3 was to demonstrate the US government’s commitment to the people and new civilian government. During her visit, Smith engaged with a wide range of leaders from civil society, government, and the private sector to learn about the opportunities and challenges facing the country.

“I think one of my takeaways in terms of the challenges is how to manage expectations. If you look across almost every sector here – education, health, agriculture, job training – the needs are enormous. So, we will be necessary for the government to manage the expectations by delivering progress but also helping people to understand that is going to take time to yield the kind of benefits that people rightfully hope for. I think we can help with that… We want to do everything, everywhere.”

Smith and US Ambassador Scot Marciel travelled to Nay Pyi Taw on May 2 for meetings with senior-level government officials and parliamentarians. In her meeting with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, she discussed how USAID could support the new government’s priorities to improve the welfare of the people. Smith also met with the union ministers of agriculture, commerce, health and social Welfare, as well as parliamentarians, to learn about how international donors like USAID can help address the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“Our mission here is to continue to work with the government on policy issues and some of the other things that will create the conditions. Our intention is to maintain a robust assistance for portfolios here. I hope over time, we will be able to increase the amount of funding we will provide for food security broadly in terms of the breakdown right now. It is part of the programme in addition to what we are doing with the economic policies, national reconciliation, health and a few other areas.”

During the five-day visit, the administrator also toured the USAID-supported emergency operations centre in Nay Pyi Taw, observed a rice harvest as part of a USAID agriculture programme and meet with farmers, held discussions with Rakhine people and other ethnic community leaders, and honoured World Press Freedom Day with members of civil society and media.

Smith was impressed with high optimism among Myanmar people. At the press conference, she stressed the need for improvement in the agricultural sector which has so far attracted low investment.

“These things take time. It is reaching the point where we can help_ work with local producers, with the local private sector, the government, and others to help generate more private sector capital flows into the agriculture sector. So the people can produce more for exports and support the national export strategy, and increase their income. Then, their livelihood and their ability to send their kids to schools and all the other things come with the increased income. They are getting there. We discussed with government ministries as well as local farmers on how to improve farming methods,” she said.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in parliament yesterday (May 9) that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Economic Development Board had earlier issued a Request for Information (RFI) to invite proposals for such a programme. He revealed that the programme would see 2,000 charging points “across Singapore”, but gave no indication of when it would be launched, saying only that “the proposals are in the final stages of evaluation”.

According to the RFI, up to 20 per cent of the 2,000 points may be accessible to non-participants of the car-sharing scheme.

Terence Siew, product manager at home-grown charging solutions firm Greenlots, said 2,000 points for a planned fleet of 1,000 cars was “a good ratio to start with”.

“But more importantly, the government should make clear what type of charging point it wants.”

There are currently two main types – one for American and Japanese vehicles, and one for European.

Today, there are over 100 charging points in commercial and residential buildings as well as in public spaces. But only half are switched on. Siew said this could be because building owners find there is insufficient demand.

According to LTA data, there are only about 120 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles here.

To a question from Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon representative) on whether Tesla’s new Model 3 would qualify for tax incentives here, Khaw said the Model 3 was launched in the United States on March 31, but “only a prototype was displayed”.

“When it is ready to be sold in Singapore, importers will submit its electrical energy consumption information for LTA to assess if it will attract a rebate or a surcharge,” he said. “If it is as energy-efficient as a new Tesla S, a new Tesla 3 car would be entitled to the maximum rebate under our current CEVS (Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme).”

The CEVS, Khaw said, is “outcome-based and neutral with respect to the type of technology”.

Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol representative) asked the minister if the government would consider using electric vehicles for public transport, citing London’s launch of a fleet of battery-powered double- decker buses in March.

Yes, Khaw said, adding: “We will try to make use of all this new technology.”

The agreement will reduce red tape in trade, give businesses in both countries better access to government procurement contracts in each other’s markets, and improve mobility and lengths of stay for business people, among other benefits.

It builds on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) adopted in June last year by the prime ministers of Singapore and Australia.

Both countries will adopt a package of measures to increase trade and investment flows, as part of moves to update and modernise the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement signed in 2003.

Australia will also establish a “landing pad” in Singapore to facilitate high-tech Australian start-ups.

Companies in both countries will also be able to tap a $50 million matching fund over five years as part of efforts on both sides to boost science and innovation cooperation.

Singapore was Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner last year. Bilateral trade in 2015 amounted to $20.2 billion. Singapore is also the fifth-largest foreign investor in Australia, with total investments amounting to A$80.2 billion (S$80.4 billion).

The total stock of Australian investments in Singapore in 2014 was A$50.7 billion.

Mr David Green, chief executive of ANZ in Singapore and its head of South East Asia and India, said the pact is “the largest step forward in this bilateral relationship in a generation”.

“(It will) support a significant increase in trade, cross-border business and inbound foreign direct investment for both Australia and Singapore.”

Mr Guy Scott, president of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Singapore, said the new developments under the CSP address many issues that businesses highlight as roadblocks to their expansion into Singapore.

“The changes to labour mobility requirements are particularly exciting, and will open the door for many businesses to expand their presence in Singapore and give more of their staff a greater opportunity to experience working in Asian markets,” he said.

“AustCham has been advocating strongly for many of these changes and to see them come to fruition is very encouraging. Now it is time for business to step up and take advantage of these new opportunities.”

Singapore Business Federation (SBF) chief executive Ho Meng Kit said the business communities of both countries “have a very close relationship and share similar perspectives on many global business issues”.

The SBF also welcomed provisions such as the Singapore-Northern Australia Agribusiness Development Partnership, which aims to encourage Singaporean and Australian companies to work together to develop the food and agri-business industries in northern Australia.

This year, China-based entrepreneur Shu Wenbin spent most of his Chinese New Year holidays doing business.

Besides meetings across China, Shu, a general manager with Continental Interior Design and Construction, sought potential partners elsewhere, including in the United States. The firm is a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) that offers interior design and construction services.

“China’s real estate and construction industries have slowed down, new residential and commercial projects are seeing sluggish growth, and investment projects are uncertain,” he told China Daily. “Overseas markets, especially in Southeast Asia and South America will be new growth points. Prospects in European and US markets are also good.”

Shu’s company employs 150 people and manages an annual revenue of 300 million yuan (US$46 million), of which nearly 20 per cent is from overseas. He aims to lift that figure to 50 per cent by 2017.

Slower growth in the construction sector and rising labour and material costs have made it important for ventures like this to search for new opportunities globally.

The government’s move to make it easier for ventures to make overseas investments has helped. And indications are that there would be other firms following the same path.

China’s outbound investment hit US$140 billion in 2014, exceeding its inbound investment of US$120 billion for the first time, according to figures from the country’s Ministry of Commerce.

President Xi Jinping wants that figure to reach US$1.25 trillion over the next decade, the paper reports.

Ambassador Wu Jianmin, former president of China Foreign Affairs University and a member of the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute’s 21st Century Council, said: “We are on the verge of a big wave of Chinese companies going global. Many companies have realised that if they don’t look for opportunities globally, they will probably die in China finally.”

A push to encourage SMEs to become competitive, think big and reach out to markets beyond borders is getting some attention across Asia, including in Singapore.

Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s maiden Budget this year saw a series of new initiatives for SMEs. The list includes raising corporate income tax rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent, capped at S$20,000 (US$14,677) each year for Year of Assessment 2016 and 2017. And the Special Employment Credit, which was due to expire this year, will be modified and extended to the end of 2019, with a top-up of S$1.1 billion. This will provide employers with a wage offset for workers aged 55 and above who earn up to S$4,000 a month.

Similar initiatives are in the works elsewhere, given a growing realisation that the seeds of future growth potential might well lie in nimble, smaller-sized ventures that can react faster to disruptive technological changes and offer employment opportunities to many more, as nations restructure and rethink their economic strategies.

SMEs across the Asia-Pacific contribute 20 per cent to 50 per cent of their respective nation’s gross domestic product growth, employ half the workforce and account for over 90 per cent of all enterprises, Apec data shows.

However, their contribution to exports is only a third.

Given their potential, policymakers are looking at easing policy constraints, improving the availability of affordable capital, creating schemes to improve the skills of employees, setting up dedicated zones for SMEs, improving infrastructure and doing more to allow them to make the leap to overseas markets.

This is driven in part by moves to increase trade within the region and beyond, with the AseanEconomic Community declaration already in place, and talks for other trade partnerships, among them the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Also, there are proposals to increase connectivity between countries by air and land. China’s New Silk Road Economic Belt initiative to link China with Europe, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which will connect China with South-east Asian countries, Africa and Europe, will mean more opportunities for smaller players.

Take a look at what’s happening:

• South Korea is turning to SMEs to remedy its dramatic drop in exports, for which it banked on large conglomerates till now. The nation’s exports registered a decline of 18.5 per cent in February, over that a month earlier, making it the largest monthly drop since August 2009. In March, that figure was 8.2 per cent, the 15th consecutive month of a drop in exports, one of the key pillars of the nation’s economic growth. As a result, it has been decided that the central bank, the Bank of Korea, will make available nine trillion won (US$7.72 billion) in low-interest loans for SMEs, in a bid to reinvigorate the economy, The Korea Herald reports.

• Indonesia has announced subsidised loans from Exim Bank for export-oriented SMEs, besides insurance for 70 per cent of the loans given to SMEs. There are plans to remove over two dozen subsectors from the negative investment list, with many key segments to be set aside for smaller businesses. According to a report by The Jakarta Post, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution noted: “SMEs have the potential to produce export-based goods that can help diversify Indonesia’s export market.” The measures, he hopes, will help them to export directly instead of first selling to bigger conglomerates in the country.

• Laos, which has established a special economic zone in Champassak province to encourage Japanese SMEs to invest in the country, recently held a meeting with 200 Japanese firms to promote bilateral trade. Khamphon Nuansengsy, president of the Champassak Special Economic Zone, told the Vientiane Times that he hopes the initiative will create enough jobs to attract people from neighbouring areas, and alleviate poverty.

• Thailand is urging its SMEs to target markets in Asean, and announced a budget of 400 million baht (US$11.39 million) to help them to do so. The funds will be available for SMEs with innovative products, new product designs and those which are environmentally friendly. This will be the country’s second SME Proactive Project, The Nation newspaper reported. Thailand’s first SME Proactive Project (from 2013 to 2015) helped 2,602 SMEs generate a combined income of 8.89 million baht.

• Taiwan plans to host meetings on SMEs with Asia-Pacific economies this year, and there are plans to open a skills development centre in Taichung, the China Post reported. With an eye on the potential, DBS Taiwan launched a “SME mini-term loan” for SMEs this year.

Given the push to develop SMEs, Andrew Sheng, a Distinguished Fellow with the Asia Global Institute who writes regularly for ANN on Asian issues, believes the next Apple could very well come from Asia.

“It is more likely to be an Asian start-up, because of the massive efforts of Asian governments in fostering new entrepreneurship,” he wrote in a recent commentary.

“Never have so many SMEs been able to access so much knowledge and so many markets with such speed and ease. The era of small companies in new markets is only just beginning… Governments will do well to foster the eco-system for innovation and change.”

But there is quite some distance to go. Thailand, for instance, wants to modernise its farming sector, turning farmers into small-scale entrepreneurs like in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. For this, the government is extending affordable loans and investing in digital technology, to enable e-commerce to take off.

But agricultural owners face several challenges – among them land erosion, poor fertility and productivity issues. There is also the question of educating the farmers and ensuring they can invest in better farming techniques.

South Korea is finding it hard to encourage its young to join SMEs, given the difference in wage structures. Such is the challenge that the government recently announced a wealth creation scheme for the young who opt to join SMEs.

Under this plan, a young person who gets a job at an SME and puts away three million won in his bank account for two years would be offered an additional six million won and three million won by the government and his employer, respectively, the Korea Herald reports.

Then, there is the reluctance within the banking system to lend, given current economic realities.

Last month, Hong Kong’s commerce chief Gregory So Kam-Leung wrote to the city’s banks, urging them to support SMEs – the territory boasts over 30,000 of them.

With the global economy showing no signs of recovering, almost every bank would become more cautious on sanctioning loans, especially to debt-ridden SMEs which have a comparatively low-risk tolerance, Hong Kong-based Hanna Li Wai-han, a strategist at UOB Kay Hian, told China Daily.

“Subdued exports data, the gloomy outlook of the city’s retail sector and weakening market sentiment are all weighing on balance sheets of local SMEs,” she said.

Thai health advocates are trying to bring this under control. Last month, a junta-appointed reform assembly submitted a proposal to tax packaged drinks according to their sugar content. This could result in beverages like soda, coffee, green tea and energy drinks becoming at least 20 per cent more expensive, and hopefully keep a lid on the incidence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension in the fast ageing country.

Thailand’s attempt to wean its people off sugary drinks is part of a growing trend in Asia, where increasingly calorie-rich diets and sedentary lifestyles are producing health complications that threaten national budgets.

Philippine lawmakers last November introduced a Bill to charge a 10 per cent tax on sweetened drinks. India policymakers have proposed a 40 per cent rate. Vietnam mulled over but eventually scrapped a proposed 10 per cent tax in 2014 after commercial pressure, while Indonesia is facing similar opposition over its soda tax plans.

Singapore has no such tax, but the idea was brought up during last month’s parliamentary debate.

The Singapore health authorities say that Asians are genetically more predisposed to diabetes than Caucasians.

Dr Annie Ling, director of policy, research and surveillance at Singapore’s Health Promotion Board, has said that for the same amount of carbohydrates consumed, the glucose response in the blood of Asians could be as high as double that of Caucasians.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends sugar consumption be limited to 12 teaspoons or about 50 grammes a day, a limit easily reached by drinking one can of soda. Worryingly large numbers of children in Asia are doing this daily.

According to WHO data, 57.7 per cent of Thai children aged between 13 and 15 years consume carbonated soft drinks one or more times per day. In Brunei, the figure is 46.3 per cent; in Cambodia, 45.6 per cent; and in the Philippines, 42.2 per cent.

The overconsumption of sugar is “serious in most – if not all – Asian countries”, Dr Katrin Engelhardt, the technical lead for nutrition in the WHO’s regional office for the Western Pacific, tells The Sunday Times. “Sugar-sweetened beverages are a key source of sugar consumption in Asia”, where its growing economies represent an important market for the food and beverage industry.

Indeed, it is the companies in this industry that put up the stiffest resistance to higher taxes. For instance, the Indian subsidiary of Coca-cola Co, which employs 25,000 staff, warned last year that it would be forced to consider shutting down some of its factories if there was a sharp decline in sales. And Indonesia’s bottled tea maker PT Sinar Sosro told the Wall Street Journal last year that the tax may prompt the company to reconsider investment plans.

The consumption of sugar across Asia is steadily rising. According to data by market research firm Euromonitor, Japan topped the list of Asian countries in terms of sugar consumed from packaged food and drink in 2014. That year, each person in Japan consumed 75.2 grammes of sugar every day, compared to 53.59 grammes in Hong Kong, 31.75 grammes in Singapore and 29.81 grammes in Thailand.

But these figures likely understate the actual amount of sugar consumed, as they do not take into account sugar added to freshly prepared food and drink.

Thais, for example, spoon sugar onto their noodles. According to Dr Piyada Prasertsom, the manager of Thailand’s Sweet Enough Network, which combats childhood obesity, each Thai person consumed an average of 100 grammes of sugar every day last year.

The WHO says governments should complement fiscal measures by requiring sugar content to be properly displayed on food labels, as well as restricting the marketing of foods and drink high in salt, sugar and fat to children.

Thailand’s health ministry has been urging government agencies to downsize snacks served during meetings, as well as offer water instead of soda.

But it is the tax proposals that have ruffled the most feathers. According to media reports, the Thai Beverage Industry Association has questioned the link between obesity and drinking soda.

Shopkeeper Chaiwat Pawanthapong, who sells soda and other drinks in Bangkok, warns that gloomy economic conditions may not be conducive to such a tax. “You don’t want to impose a bigger burden on people,” he said.

However, Dr Pornpan Bunyaratpan, a key member of the Thai National Reform Steering Assembly who is advocating the tax, points out that it need not be this way.

“If the companies reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks, they make people healthy and they won’t be subject to the tax,” she said.