Mida Frankfurt To Jointly Stage High-Profile ASEAN Investment Forum

By Manik Mehta FRANKFURT, April 1 (Bernama)-- The Malaysian Investment Development Authority's (Mida) Frankfurt office will jointly stage a high-profile ASEAN Investment Forum (AIF) with Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. The aim is to highlight business opportunities in the region, which is recording the world's fastest growth. Mida Frankfurt office director S. Siva said a star-studded list of speakers representing German companies and non-governmental organisations connected with investment promotions has been prepared. The speakers from the German companies are involved in business in the ASEAN region and the AIF will be held on June 19 at the Frankfurt Marriott Hotel. "We staged the AIF for the first time in 2016 together with Thailand and were supported by among others, the Singapore-based EU-ASEAN Business Council, the World Trade Centre in Bern (Switzerland), the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce and the German Asia-Pacific Business Council in Hamburg. "The upcoming AIF will focus on investment opportunities. It will be marked by lectures, presentations and discussions on the main theme of doing business in ASEAN. "Experts from Europe and ASEAN will give their views and contribute to a mix of brainstorming and business insights on the region," Siva told Bernama. Among the speakers at the AIF is Chris Humphrey, the Executive Director of the EU-ASEAN Business Council in Singapore, Dr Sufiah Jusoh, a Malaysian expert who works at the Bern World Trade Institute, and Dr Andrea Frenzel, the Hong Kong-based President of the regional division for South and Southeast Asia of German chemical group, BASF. Representatives of the four investment promotion agencies of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will also participate in a discussion to be moderated by Humphrey. Representatives of German companies having operations in the ASEAN region such as Eppendorf, Continental and Robert Bosch will provide insights and information on their experiences in various ASEAN countries. Meanwhile, Ong Ka Chuan, the Second Minister of International Trade and Industry will be at the Hannover Industrial Fair in the third week of April. He will also meet German industrialists and Malaysian exhibitors at the fair as well as executives of the Deutsche Messe which organises the Fair. -- BERNAMA