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The Kaeseong Industrial Complex project, a joint venture of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea appears to be at a standstill as a result of the nuclear experiment and the launching of missiles by the DPRK. In the textile business, the political and regional

This ATB 2007-1 features Forefront that predicts the demand-and-supply picture for the Asian man-made fiber industry four years from now. Focus presents an interview in Tokyo with Juan Carlos Cuadrado, President of Dow Fiber Solutions Ltd. to report the Dow-XLA marketing situation.

Regional Report covers Hong Kong and Indonesia. In Hong Kong where a business boom is going, hotel accommodation charges and charges paid by tenants in office leases have soared up and a shift to highly competitive items such as high-end knitwear is in progress. In anticipation of trade friction, there are also active moves to find replacement locations like India and Africa. In Indonesia where the operation of textile factories will increasingly become difficult because of the energy problem, the focus will be on improvement programs for survival on the part of each firm.