Main headlines from this issue

Privately owned Indonesian company agrees $10bn countertrade deal with China’s Avic

PT Merukh Enterprises, a privately owned Indonesian company, has signed a $10bn countertrade MoU with China's state-owned Avic International Holding Corp. The agreement represents a diversification into aviation and shipping by the Indonesian company, effectively trading millions of tons of metals in exchange for airplanes and ships.

$6BN Chinese deal with Congo faces turbulence as funds go missing – hedge fund grabs deposits

It sounds like an adventure in Wonderland, but this fairytale is heading for a bad ending. A huge block of compensation deals by China with the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been hit by charges of corruption, a court case, and a barrage of criticism.

Transparency International: How to avoid going to jail for under the counter trade

The kinetic Mark Pyman, Director of Transparency International’s project to eliminate corruption in defence deals, has raised the profile of this delicate subject significantly by speaking to audiences at several offset conferences lately...

Malaysia’s national countertrade policy has been settled – details given of the new offset focus

Dr. Kogila Balakrishnan, Undersecretary at Malaysia’s Defence Industry Division of the MoD, said the national offsets policy which the country has been struggling with for the past two years has now been finalised.

Korean offsets: KOTRA spells out FDI requirement

Ahn Sang-Keun, who is in charge of KOTRA’a Investment Promotion Department, told conference delegates that KOTRA will participate in offset negotiations whenever FDI is required.