24 Jul 2018
ASEAN Secretary-General highlights closer engagement with Japan’s private sector
Source: ASEAN Secretariat News
HO CHI MINH CITY, 24 July 2018 – Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi addressed the importance of dialogue and closer engagement between ASEAN and the private sector at a meeting with the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA).
In his opening remarks at the 11th Dialogue with FJCCIA, the Secretary-General stressed that the closer relationship would be beneficial to ASEAN and its partners in bringing effective measures and policies that would encourage business expansion and growth in the region. He said, “This dialogue provides an important avenue for the FJCCIA to address regional issues faced by Japanese companies operating in the region through the ASEAN Secretariat. Such dialogue strengthens policymaking by obtaining valuable private sector inputs, creating momentum for improvements, and fostering mutually beneficial cooperation for ASEAN and Japan.”
“This is why the ASEAN Economic Community 2025 Blueprint and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 placed strong emphasis on stakeholder engagement, particularly the private sector,” Dato Lim added.
Organised by the FJCCIA in Ho Chi Minh City and co-chaired by Chairman of the FJCCIA Keiichi Kadowaki, the dialogue addressed the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and ways to improve and enhance public-private sector engagement, on-going trade and investment facilitation measures, as well as emerging issues related to digitalisation and innovation.
Echoing Dato Lim’s statement, Chairman Keiichi expressed FJCCIA’s commitment to work closely with ASEAN in continuously realising the ASEAN Economic Community. “Through this dialogue, we are hopeful that we can provide suggestions that would further deepen the AEC development, from businesses operating on the ground – we use the term ‘Gemba’ or actual production and service site in ASEAN,” said the chairman in his remarks.
The dialogue was attended by more than 50 representatives of Japan’s Chamber of Commerce in all ten ASEAN Member States, as well as key important figures in ASEAN – Japan cooperation, including the Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN Kazuo Sunaga, Chairman and CEO of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Hiroyuki Ishige, and President of Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura. As part of the dialogue programme, participants also made site visits to Omron Healthcare Manufacturing Vietnam Co., Ltd and BECAMEX TOKYU Co., Ltd.
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