Committee adapts agenda of APEC business meeting

Committee adapts agenda of APEC business meeting

JAKARTA (JP): Preparations for the first Asia-Pacific business
meeting, scheduled for Aug. 24-25, are being stepped up with
increased vigor now that the conference has received the official
endorsement by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
forum.

Even though the structure and organization of the Asia Pacific
Business Network (APB Net) have yet to be decided on at its
inaugural meeting in August, most members who will attend the
meeting are suggesting that an information network be
established.

They see an extensive information network linking all members
as crucial for achieving the objectives of the forum to enhance
business linkages in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC), for example, strongly
suggested that access to information be put on top of priorities
of APB Net.

"We suggest that at the first meeting we discuss the
standardization of the information to be maintained by APB Net
members and how this information will be exchanged," CCC's Senior
Vice-President Timothy I. Page told Husein Aminuddin, the
chairman of the organizing committee here.

However, he cautioned in a proposal that the APB Net should
not duplicate organizations or forums already existing in the
region.

Linkage

Page welcomed the great attention being addressed by the
organizing committee to the importance of enhancing linkages
between large enterprises with medium and small-scale firms.

The inaugural meeting of APB Net is being organized jointly by
the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Aminuddin, who is also Kadin's vice president in charge of
trade and international relations, said the upcoming conference
was well-timed as it would be able to contribute valuable inputs
to the second APEC informal summit meeting here and in Bogor in
the middle of November.

"We are doing our best to make the first meeting, the
beginning of an effective business forum for the promotion of
business linkages between APEC members," he added.

The organizing committee has suggested that APB Net consist of
a two-tier forum. The first tier, in charge of policy
development, will group the national chambers and commerce and
industrial or business associations. The second will comprise the
representatives of companies and will be in charge of promoting
individual business contacts.

Aminuddin said the participants in the inaugural meeting of PB
Net would be limited to 200 to make it an efficient and effective
forum for discussions and promoting individual business contacts.

All APEC members-- the United States, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea and the six ASEAN countries, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines and Canada, are
already committed to taking part in the first business meeting.
(vin)