ASEAN urges French investment

ASEAN urges French investment

PARIS (AFP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged on Wednesday, French companies to invest in regional infrastructure projects, during the first ASEAN joint investment mission to France.

"The time is right to put ASEAN on your strategic map," Abhisit Vejjajiva, minister attached to the Thai prime minister's office, told representatives of more than 70 French businesses and commercial organizations.

"The region still needs more investment in infrastructure development, both hardware and software," Vejjajiva said.

The 10 ASEAN members agreed to send joint investment missions to selected countries for the first time this year in a bid to raise the region's profile, particularly in countries such as France which has an average market share of just two percent in Asia.