Malaysia to host Pacific Basin business meet in May+

Malaysia to host Pacific Basin business meet in May+

KUALA LUMPUR (Kyodo): Some 800 participants from 21 countries
will attend an annual Pacific Basin meeting in Kuala Lumpur from
May 23 to May 25 to discuss how to sustain the region's economic
dynamism, conference organizers said.

Participants in the 27th Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC)
assembly will include Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad,
Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, New Zealand Deputy Prime
Minister Don McKinnon and GATT Director General Peter Sutherland.

Conference chairman Basir Ismail described this year's theme
on "Profiting from Pacific Dynamism -- Opportunities and
Challenges for the Private Sector" as timely, now that the
Uruguay Round to free global trade has been completed. Basir is
chairman of Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned oil firm.

The PBEC, founded in 1967, is a forum that allows the private
sector to liaise with government officials, and has about 1,000
corporate members.

It now has 14 member countries or territories, which will be
expanded when China, Russia and Colombia become formal members at
the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia will also apply for
membership at the meeting while Vietnam is attending as an
observer.

Current PBEC members are Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Hong
Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru,
the Philippines, Taiwan and the United States.