KKR bets S-E Asia will be a trade war winner

SINGAPORE: KKR & Co is seeking to invest more in South-East Asia, where companies are poised to benefit from the US-China trade dispute, according to the private equity firm’s co-founder Henry Kravis.

“The longer that the dispute with China and the US goes on, I think you are going to see more opportunities” for investment in the Association of South-East Asian Nations, Kravis said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur last week. The openings “come up where companies are saying: ‘I need to diversify my supply chain’” as a result of the trade dispute, Kravis added.

The 10-economy Asean bloc is seen as a natural magnet for new factories, thanks to low production costs and improving infrastructure.

The region was the top choice for about one-third of the more than 430 American companies in China that have moved or are considering moving production sites abroad amid the trade tensions, according to a recent survey.

KKR also sees opportunities in Asean as a result of the region’s favourable demographics, with growing wealth and migration from rural areas to the cities.

The firm is especially keen on companies that address food safety issues, following successful investments in such firms in China, Kravis said.

Last year, KKR put US$250mil into Vietnamese condiment and instant noodle producer Masan Group, with US$150mil allocated to its meat-producing business.