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Big American corporations are looking at investing in Philippine infrastructure projects, especially in the former US air base in Clark, to foster closer ties between Manila and Washington, the US-Asean Business Council said.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer, the US-Asean Business Council said its delegation composed of 21 top American companies visited the Philippines on Sept. 16-18, led by council president and chief executive Alexander Feldman and senior vice president and regional managing director Ambassador Michael Michalak.
“This mission was a timely opportunity for US business to renew engagement and better understand the government of the Philippines’ priorities,” Feldman said.
During their visit, “mission themes focused on existing activities underway to promote free and open trade and remove barriers to investment,” the US-Asean Business Council said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's speech at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York was chock-full of talking points, but the one that stood out was his declaration that Thailand would become a rich country by 2036.
"Thailand will become a high-income country with fairness, respect for basic human rights and participation in all sectors of society," Gen Prayut said, according to the US-Asean Business Council.
The remark bears no relation to the current reality, and analysts question whether Southeast Asia's second-largest economy can vault from a middle-income trap to the high-income segment within 17 years.
TWO DECADES
Thosaporn Sirisamphand, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), said the prime minister's remark came as no surprise, as the lofty goal is stipulated in the country's 20-year national strategy (2017-37).
Location: Serpong, Indonesia
Date: October 3, 2019
Participants: 130 SMEs and tech entrepreneurs
Partner: The Center for Research Science and Technology, Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education
Overview:
More than 100 Indonesian SME owners and executives and tech entrepreneurs from South Tangerang and neighboring cities participated in a half-day workshop titled, “Innovation without Limits: Advancing Indonesian Entrepreneurs’ Competitiveness”. The workshop was conducted in a close collaboration with the Center for Research Science and Technology (PUSPIPTEK), a unit under the Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education.
(Serpong, Indonesia) – On October 3, the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) held its second Innovation for SME Workshop in Indonesia. More than 100 Indonesian SME owners and executives, tech entrepreneurs, local government officials and academics from South Tangerang and neighboring cities participated in a half-day workshop titled, “Innovation without Limits: Advancing Indonesian Entrepreneurs’ Competitiveness.”
The US-ABC conducted the workshop in-collaboration with the Center for Research Science and Technology (PUSPIPTEK), a unit under the Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education.
The workshop was held in conjunction with PUSPIPTEK Innovation Festival Indonesia 2019, which aims to improve Indonesia’s national competitiveness in innovation and promote a society inclusive of research and technology.
Reports from the Bank of Thailand’s Monetary policy committee on Wednesday this week indicated that Thailand’s tourism sector in 2019 is in decline while the Financial Ministry’s Fiscal Policy Unit on Friday indicated that tourist figures are up by 7.4%. The contradiction comes as Thailand pins its hopes on a surge in both tourism and exports to achieve its target of 3% growth this year. The Bank of Thailand has projected a growth rate of 2.8% but all the economic indicators suggest that this figure may also be challenged if the upswing does not come to pass by year’s end.
The Thai prime minister put the best foot forward in New York over the last few days in key speeches and meetings with senior figures such as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He pledged that Thailand would stand with the US as a friend in the region and that the kingdom would become a high-income society by 2036 with a greater emphasis placed on human rights and inclusion.
NEW YORK: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it is most likely he will be in power for no more than three years before bowing out.
“I promise that I would step down before the next election and give way to another candidate. So, I may have at the most three years, perhaps, ” he said at a dialogue held at the Council on Foreign Relations here on Thursday.
With its headquarters here, the council is a US think-tank specialising in US foreign policy and international affairs.
In town for the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr Mahathir said he needed to accomplish a few things during the three years, and he expects his work to be very tough and that he currently puts in 18 hours a day.
At a meeting with members of the United States-Asean Business Council and US Chamber of Commerce, Dr Mahathir, 94, touted Malaysia’s business-friendly stance as he went about wooing American investors.