KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need for a stronger thrust by Asean leaders to ensure non-tariff- barriers are eliminated to achieve meaningful regional integration, says the Asean Business Club (ABC).
President, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid said expectations are high for the Asean Economic Community’s (AEC) formation by year-end, and the ABC will conduct a business forum in May.
It will be part of the final push for integration and a platform to dissect sector-based issues hindering free and fair trade in Asean.
“As the ABC continues to identify the gaps, as well as recommendations to bridge it, we hope Asean leaders will evaluate and implement policy prescriptions which will accelerate the pace of integration,” he told a media briefing here yesterday.
The ABC is organising the 3rd Annual Asean Business Club Forum themed, ‘Road to Asean Integration’ on May 14 in Singapore.
The forum expects a list of over 50 speakers and about 300 participants from 13 countries debating current issues in Asean.
Munir said the ABC would freely share the gap analysis and its latest findings, based on the forum.
“The discussions will result in a set of white papers to be published in the third quarter of this year,” he said.
He also announced the support of independent research partners, namely Frost & Sullivan, A.T. Kearney, Accenture, Economic Research Institute on Asean and East Asia, Asean Tourism Association, and Centre for International Law of National University of Singapore, for the forum.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the ABC Forum 2015, U Thura Ko, said ABC and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are finalising a partnership for a grant competition aimed at making financing more accessible to Asean’s small and medium enterprises (SME).
Among the participating banks CIMB Bank, KBZ Bank, Bank Muamalat Malaysia and Bank of Philippine Islands, he said.
The forum will also see the participation of leading corporations, including DBS Group, ZICO Holdings Inc, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Securities Commission Malaysia, Park Hotel Group, Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia, KBZ Bank, CIMB Group, AirAsia, Johnson & Johnson, AECOM, KPJ Healthcare, Jetstar, Tune Hotel,China-Asean Investment Corporation Fund, the Asian Development Bank Institute, and Clifford Capital. — Bernama