[International] ASEAN Business Forum Held in Bangkok, Focusing on Regional Resilience and Supply Chain Layout
RtiTalk 小編16d ago
The social enterprise and regional exchange platform 'C ASEAN' in Thailand invited representatives from government, finance, and technology sectors on the 7th to discuss concrete measures to strengthen regional economic and social resilience. Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara, chief advisor to the Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, called for accelerating cooperation on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, power grids, and other initiatives, using connectivity to cope with external shocks.
The ASEAN-focused 'C ASEAN 2026' was held in Bangkok on the 7th. Facing geopolitical tensions, supply chain restructuring, rapid AI development, and climate change, the forum gathered representatives from government, finance, and technology sectors.
Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara, chief advisor to the Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, stated in his keynote speech that ASEAN will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2027, but the current environment is vastly different from when it was founded in 1967.
He urged acceleration of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, the ASEAN Power Grid, regional carbon markets, and public-private partnerships, so that connectivity truly becomes the support for the region in facing external shocks.
In another session titled 'Strengthening ASEAN's Economic and Social Resilience,' Kobsak Pootrakool, Chief Economist at Bangkok Bank, viewed global conflicts and trade policy uncertainties as key investment opportunities for ASEAN to transform crises into competitive advantages.
He said, 'While global conflicts and trade policy uncertainties bring risks, they also prompt companies to reconfigure supply chains, creating a new wave of investment opportunities for ASEAN.'
Kobsak cited Thailand as an example, noting that investments in recent years have gradually expanded into sectors such as semiconductors, printed circuit boards, optoelectronics, data centers, cloud services, AI, and biotechnology.
He believes that if ASEAN can treat its nearly 700 million population as a common market and strengthen the circulation of goods, raw materials, energy, and food within the region, it can reduce its dependence on individual external markets.
Joel Ang, Vice President and Head of Southeast Asia and Oceania at Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB), pointed out that as the global economy becomes increasingly fragmented, investors place greater importance on certainty, stability, and growth opportunities, and ASEAN has the conditions to attract investment. However, countries should not compete individually for funds but should leverage their complementary strengths to jointly build regional supply chains.
Participants emphasized that ASEAN's connectivity is no longer limited to roads, ports, and power grids, but also encompasses trade systems, data standards, talent, finance, and technological cooperation. Amidst rising global uncertainty, how to integrate the scattered resources of various countries into a common market and translate policy initiatives into cross-border projects will be key to ASEAN's ability to transform crises into competitive advantages. (Editor: Liu Xianghua)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=225062
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