APB-Net to convene in Osaka tomorrow
APB-Net to convene in Osaka tomorrow
JAKARTA (JP): The Asia Pacific Business Network (APB-Net) will
open a two-day meeting in Osaka, Japan, tomorrow to finalize its
policy views prior to the Osaka meeting of the Leaders of the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in November.
Thirteen Japanese business associations including the
Keidanren, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Osaka
Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Foreign Trade
Council are hosting the APB-Net meeting.
"The views will build on the outcomes of the APEC Opportunity
Forum and Ministers meeting hosted in Adelaide, Australia, last
month," the APB-Net Coordinator for Indonesia, Husein Aminuddin,
said in a statement yesterday.
The Osaka APEC Leaders meeting is approaching and the latest
reports indicate that there are still significant differences
between major economies on key issues relating to trade
liberalization.
Aminuddin said the breakdown of discussions among officials in
recent weeks concerns the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (Kadin).
He added that the business consensus evident in Adelaide may
be fractured by the spillover from the government negotiations.
APB-Net consists of chambers of commerce and industry from
APEC member economies. It is facilitating business activities
among members and was conceived during the Second APEC SOM in
Bali in May, 1994, and was formally launched as a new
organization at the first APB-Net meeting in Jakarta on Aug. 23-
25 last year.
APEC groups Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, Hong
Kong, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Mexico, United States, Japan,
Canada and Chile.
To coincide with the meeting of APEC ministers for small and
medium-scale enterprises in Adelaide, Australia, last Sept. 12-
15, APB-Net hosted a business forum to realize the vision of
promoting business networking and providing an effective voice
for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the APEC process.
It was intended that the views of SMEs could be directly
stated to ministers who would be able to make a report to the
leaders meeting in Osaka.
Over 800 business people, mainly from SMEs, took part in the
Adelaide meeting, in addition to more than 200 government
officials and ministers.
In hosting the event, APB-Net drew on more than 50 leading
business associations from around the region.
Aminuddin, who is also Kadin's vice president for trade and
international relations, said that the outcome of the Adelaide
meeting included recommendations on how APEC can better
facilitate trade development by SMEs through liberalization and
deregulation. It also suggested improved networking, which is
critical to the survival and growth of smaller enterprises.(kod)