The volume of completely built-up (CBU) automobiles imported into Vietnam witnessed a sharp decline in the first half of December 2024, according to preliminary statistics released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

President Prabowo Subianto, in a meeting held on Monday, instructed his ministers to halt the importation of rice, salt, consumable sugar and corn in 2025, Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, said, according to Indonesian News Agency (Antara).

This goal follows the positive trade performance in 2024, which saw a continued trade surplus exceeding US$20 billion

Exports of HRC steel in November continued to be gloomy, so the steel companies must pivot back the domestic market to increase consumption.

Rice exports set new records in both volume and value in 2024, but a difficult year ahead is on the cards for producers as India resumes export.

Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce has pledged to pursue more free trade agreements (FTAs) in 2025 in an effort to boost the country's economic growth rate to 3%.

Seafood exports to the Middle East experienced double-digit growth in 2024, placing the region among the top two fastest-growing seafood import markets, second only to China.

China and Singapore have upgraded a 15-year-old free trade deal to further open up their markets to investors and services suppliers on both sides, and expand cooperation in telecoms services, said Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

Vietnam’s exports of agricultural products reached unprecedented heights in 2024, with multiple sectors achieving significant milestones such as coffee exports surpassing US$5 billion and cashew shipments exceeding $4 billion.

Vietnam’s coffee export turnover has so far surpassed the total for 2023, setting a new record of 4.84 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2024. In November 2024, the average export price of Vietnamese coffee reached 5,818 USD per tonne, the highest ever recorded. With these achievements, Vietnam is poised to dominate the global coffee market in the near future.