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.

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.

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.

Nguyen Trong Thanh in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, said he has had nurtured his passion for bonsai for 20 years. He owns Thanh Cong Ky Vien, a garden with 40 outstanding ornamental trees that have received many prizes in bonsai competitions. The species of trees are various, including guava, banyan, casuarinas and pine.

Thanh was one of the many flora and fauna lovers who attended the capital’s first Ornamental Plant and Pet Festival, held from April 27 to May 9 in the Vinhomes Riverside ecological urban area on the outskirts of Ha Noi.

Thanh said since he bought that tree, his business has developed strongly and his family is very happy. Thanh said he would never sell this tree at any cost, because otherwise he might lose his luck.

“Once a man devotes his heart to a tree, it can understand his mind,” said Thanh.

Whenever he is happy, the tree looks fresh and beautiful, and whenever he is sad, the tree will appear dejected, according to Thanhsaid. There are no scientific grounds for this, but experts of ornamental trees share Thanh’s sentiment.

They love their trees as their flesh and blood, so whenever they prune just a branch or a leaf, they have to think carefully before choosing the right place to snip.

People who are interested in the qualities of morality and dignity may like trees in the postures of “huynh de” (brothers), “phu tu” (father and son) and “mau tu” (mother and baby).

Those who like philosophy may choose trees with a “nghenh phong” (against wind) posture, which shows men’s strong will. Some may like the “quan tu” (gathering) posture because it shows the national unity and profound cultural value of Vietnam.

Thanh has one bonsai of three banyans symbolising happiness, fortune and longevity. The work received a gold prize at the first national ornamental plants festival held in 2010.

Those who prefer a “folk style” often favour banyan trees, and those who like a “royal style” often choose pine, cinnamon or elm trees.

Thanh said it requires the technique of an agricultural expert and feelings of an artist to create a beautiful bonsai.

“An ornamental plant needs three factors: old age, a master stroke and imposingness,” he said.

Ruffling feathers

While ornamental plants help owners relax and find peace after hard work, pets bring exciting moments and fun.

A mischievous parrot on a pirate’s shoulder is a familiar sight in children’s movies and cartoons. Nowadays, exotic parrots, which originate from Africa and South America, are being raised as friendly and lovable pets by many people.

Businessman Nguyen Viet Hoang from Ha Noi has raised different kinds of pets such as fishes, dogs, cats and birds. He was one of the first people in Viet Nam to raise parrots.

“I have raised Asian birds which sing beautifully, but when I learned about African and South American parrots, I realised that they have the characteristics of both birds and dogs,” Hoang said.

“I can teach them many tricks like I do with dogs. Parrots are boisterous, talkative and naughty. They are intelligent and cute.

“Last but not least, these kinds of parrots have a long life-span, from 50 to 70 years. They are loyal friends of humans, like dogs.”

Hoang proudly brought a scarlet macaw parrot named Lucy to the Ornamental Plant and Pet Festival. Originally from the evergreen forests of tropical South America, Lucy is about 81 cm long.

“Popular parrots raised in Viet Nam also include the blue-and-gold macaw, yellow-headed amazon and cockatoo,” said Hoang.

“Raising parrots brings me much fun and amazement. They act like kids sometimes. They love to be indulged and play with sparkling objects. They are attracted to toys with eye-catching colours and exciting music.”

Hoang’s children also love to play with the parrots, even though his wife often complains that he raises too many parrots and other pets at the same time.Because the birds are imported from foreign countries, they are quite expensive if the owners have authorised papers showing their origin and vaccination certificate. Hoang’s two-year-old scarlet-chested parrot is worth about US$3,000.

Nguyen Viet Huong, 50, said she bought an Amazon parrot at $1,500.

“I bought Cam (name of the parrot) from Thailand when it was three months old,” said Huong.

“Raising parrots when they are little makes them attached to us, and we also understand them clearly regarding their habits and characteristics.”

Cam is talkative and loud, sometimes uttering low-pitched, throaty squawks, squeaks and screams while Huong talks. While playing with Cam, it performs the impressive skill of using its beak to pick up coins.

Tran Manh Hoang, a university lecturer, owns amazon, cockatoo and blue-and-gold parrots. The price of each parrot depends on its remarkable skill, he said.For example, cockatoos can dance along to music well, amazon birds have a good singing voice and blue-and-gold macaws fly beautifully. However, he emphasised that all parrot species can perform these skills if they are taught well.

“You may be surprised to hear an amazon sing opera,” said Hoang.

“Raising parrots brings me and my family much happiness. We will always remember the first word of our amazon parrot, Lemon – ‘mommy’, in the voice of our son.

“Now when we come home after work, the parrot always says, ‘hello, mommy’ or ‘hello, daddy’. Lemon even shouts ‘silent’ at my dog when it barks loudly.”

According to parrot owners said it requires a great deal of patience to raise and train parrots, although they are highly trainable and want to please their human companions.

The boisterous birds tend to be loud. Screaming does become a problem, however, when the birds scream all day long because it means they’re bored due to inattentive owners.

Young birds make a “clucking” sound to indicate that they are hungry.

The owners have to find information from forums abroad, translate it into Vietnamese and share with each other to take care of the animals, especially when they are sick. The symptoms include low appetite, fluffed feathers and nasal discharge.

“We seriously make friends with the birds, not enjoy them through a cage,” said Hoang.

Cultural value

More than a hobby, ornamental plants and pets have a cultural value that enriches owners’ spiritual lives.

The Ornament Plant and Pet Festival aims to strengthen the connection between the research, production and purchase activities of the country’s ornament plants and pets business, which contributes to the new rural development programme and the reconstruction of the agricultural sector, according to head of the organising board Nguyen Gia Tho.

The festival featured features exhibitions and a creative competition on popular ornamental plants and pets such as trees, flowers, fishes and birds, and demonstrates successful production models and contract-signing ceremonies among entrepreneurs, producers and consumers.

The event comprises more than 400 booths, 7,500 exhibits and 11,600 commercial products, with the participation of more than 1,000 craftspeople and gardeners from all over the country.

“We honour the love for nature, trees and animals,” said Tho. “It’s not just a hobby. When we take care of a tree or a pet, that’s the way we express our concern for nature and the environment. That’s the beauty of a cultured and civilised life.”

Tho said the ornamental objects business aims to expand as it would help develop the national agriculture sector.

“Above all, the business not only yields economic benefits, but also beautifies the ecological environment and connects the community,” he added.