A TWO-DAY 10th Asean Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2013 kicked off yesterday at the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam as the Chairman of the summit consented to deliver a Titah and officiate the ceremony.

His Majesty was greeted upon arrival by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng and Chair of Asean Business Advisory Council 2013, Fauziah Dato Seri Paduka Hj Talib, as well as other officials.

A gala dinner was held last night hosted by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.

Asean Business Award was also presented during the gala dinner where four categories each for large companies and SMES – Employment, Growth, Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation were presented.

About 300 delegates attended the summit including political and business leaders from the region.

With the aim to increase Asean’s attractiveness as a region for trade and investment and enhanced regional competitiveness, the summit highlighted a special dialogue with the Economic and Trade Ministers of Asean.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage with Asean leaders, economic ministers and key decision makers.

A highlight of the session on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will include insights from the ministers of Asean’s trade partners and key industry players around the region.

Several papers are presented in the summit highlighting topics such as “Economic Outlook and Structural Policy Challenges in Asean”, “Asean 2015 – Turning Vision into Reality: Where are We At”, “Levelling the Playing Field – The Next Steps for Asean”, “The Road to Growth and Prosperity – RCEP with Real Business Insights”, “Food for Thought – Securing Food Supply for a Sustainable Future”, “Accelerating Asean Connectivity – Linkages for Growth”, “Enhancing Business Cycle – From Cradle to Success” and “Business as Unusual – The Way Forward for Asean Businesses”.

Other topics include “Invest Asean – Best Practices vis-a-vis Competitive Environment” and “Moving Ahead Together – What Next? Where Do We Go From Here”. - Borneo Bulletin (21 August 2013)