U.S. court decision on ZTE, Vietnam reopens, Philippine presidential debate

Welcome to Your Week in Asia.

Vietnam becomes the latest country to reopen to international tourists, starting Tuesday. In the Philippines, a televised presidential debate series organized by the Commission on Elections is set to kick off on the weekend, though the election frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr. might skip it.

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MONDAY

U.S. judge to weigh further punishment against ZTE

Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE is due to appear in court in Texas as a judge considers whether to revoke its monitored probation in relation to a 2017 conviction for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The summons relates to a case filed against a former employee and a university professor who allegedly misled officials into giving study-related visas to Chinese who instead went to work for ZTE in the U.S. The probation is currently due to end next week.

TUESDAY

Vietnam reopens to foreign tourists

Vietnam starts welcoming international visitors to boost its ailing economy with tourist spending. The specific conditions foreign arrivals are expected to meet in regards to testing, vaccination and quarantine are yet to be finalized. The Southeast Asian nation is reopening its borders despite experiencing a surge in infections driven by the omicron variant. More than 98% of its adult population are fully vaccinated and 36.3% have received a booster dose.

China economic data

China's January and February economic data announcement could provide an indication of growth momentum after the government projected this year's GDP would decelerate sharply. The forecast slowdown is from 8.1% last year to about 5.5%. To account for the impact of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday last month, Chinese statisticians will combine data for the first two months of the year. They will examine industrial production, investment in fixed assets and retail sales, as well as energy production. The figures are likely to give insights into the impact of both the Beijing Winter Olympics last month and the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

WEDNESDAY

China property data

China releases data on residential home prices in 70 major cities for February. The decline in the average monthly housing price slowed slightly in January. This suggests the easing of restrictive measures that include lower thresholds for mortgage to boost non-speculative demand.

Company earnings: Foxconn, Asustek

THURSDAY

Monetary policy announcement: Indonesia, Taiwan

Company earnings: CK Hutchison, China Telecom, Ping An, Li Ning

FRIDAY

Japan monetary policy announcement

Company earnings: Zijin Mining

WEEKEND

Philippine presidential debate

The Philippines' Commission on Elections, the poll regulator, will hold its first in a planned series of presidential debates ahead of the May 9 vote. Opinion poll front-runner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has previously skipped other debates and forums run by media organizations, has yet to confirm his participation.

East Timor presidential election

Voters in Southeast Asia's youngest nation will cast ballots on Saturday to pick out their leader for the next five years. According to local media, 16 candidates are running for the presidency. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off will be held on April 19.