Business leaders from across the Asia Pacific are being urged to join together to find a path through what’s been described as a “perfect storm” of unprecedented global trade and investment uncertainty.
The US Chamber of Commerce says a two-day business summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next month will be critical for developing an effective response to the trade and economic uncertainty and fears of a trade war.
350 business and government leaders from across the region are expected to take part in the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce summit (APCAC 2018) on 4-5 April.
The Senior Director in the US Chamber’s Asia Department, John Goyer, says there are deep concerns about US trade and investment policy and changes in trading relationships across Asia.
“This is the perfect storm where the only thing that is certain is that there’s a great deal of uncertainty.
“But what is important to remember is that Asia remains vital for American business interests – our companies want to be here and invest so it’s vital we come together and plan how to respond to this unfolding situation,” Mr Goyer said.
Summit organiser and Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia (AMCHAM Malaysia), Siobhan Das, says amidst the uncertainty there are opportunities.
“Asia remains the fastest growing region in the world and that won’t change any time soon – we need to embrace the opportunities that arise from such growth,” said Ms Das.
Among the conference speakers are:
- Lovella Adams ASEAN Director, Coca-Cola, Thailand Stephen Braim, Vice President at IBM, Australia Tan Sri Tony Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Charles Freeman, Senior Vice President, U.S. Chamber, Washington D.C.
- Edward Graham, CEO & President, ExxonMobil, Malaysia
- Briand Greer, President South East Asia, Honeywell Jeffrey Hardee, Executive Director Asia-Pacific Government & Corporate Affairs, Caterpillar Inc.
- Datuk Mark Rosario, Chief Executive Officer, GE, Malaysia
- Dr Richard Record, Lead Economist, World Bank Group
- Ramzi Toubassy, Chief Executive Officer, AmMetLife, Malaysia
The theme of this year’s summit is Charting a Bold Future: US Businesses in the Asian Century.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka will be participating at this year’s APCAC Summit. For more information on this, please do write in via info@amcham.lk
APCAC (Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers) is an association of 29 American Chambers of Commerce from across in the Asia Pacific and representing 15,000 companies and 10 million employees with an estimated USD 620 billion in annual FDI management and more than USD 1 trillion in annual trade.