Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to begin by expressing my warm welcome to all of you here in Bali, Indonesia. It is indeed a great honour for me to host also this important meeting, prior to the Summit of the ASEAN Leaders to be convened the day after tomorrow and subsequently followed by their meetings with the Leaders of the dialogue partners.
As a trade and investment area, ASEAN has demonstrated an exceedingly dynamic, integrated and competitive development. A framework regulation the free trade in goods and services sectors as well as investment has been put in effect in the ASEAN countries. A long-term agreement between ASEAN countries and the business partners, in a sizeable volume, has also been concluded to enhance investment and trade activities. Through this scheme, the economy of this region has in general increased and hence proven that ASEAN possesses a considerable potential for further growth in a sustainable manner.
In parallel with such a progress in the economy, at their 7th Summit in Brunei Darussalam, the Leaders of ASEAN have decided to establish the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (A-BAC) and entrusted it to hold the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN-BIS) on an annual basis. Through this working mechanism, we hope that the business sector in this region will receive a wider room for movement and develop opportunities to contribute in a more substantial manner for the realization of an integrated trade and investment area in the ASEAN region.
Against this background, I am truly pleased, along with the other Leaders of ASEAN, to invite and encourage the business sector to play an active role in this conducive environment. Through the ASEAN-BIS, we hope that the ASEAN business sector will be able to take a tremendous advantage from the future potential of the increasingly developing ASEAN economic market.
Through the ASEAN-BIS, you will also be able to mutually present an overview of your respective national market condition, build corridors, or if necessary find openings to capitalize on. Together with your business colleagues of the ASEAN business partners, such as from the United States of America, the European Union, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and India, you will all be able to exchange views and simultaneously offer a lucid understanding of the strategies in profiting from the prevailing opportunities.
Several ASEAN Leaders will be present in this meeting and I am convinced that they will be able to convey invaluable insights to all of you. The establishment of this forum is clearly aimed at facilitating interaction among business leaders in ASEAN, or between them and their trading partners. However, equally important, it is also intended to facilitate and shorten the distance needed to merge the policy strategies of the public sector with the business sector at the regional level.
Therefore, in welcoming this first ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, I feel that it would not be exaggerated to expect that this undertaking would become a milestone in the cooperation of business sector in the ASEAN countries and would provide a considerable benefit for the economic growth and prosperity of the peoples in this region.
In Indonesia, we naturally expect that our business community will benefit from this meeting. The selection of Bali as venue for this meeting, as well as for the ASEAN Summit, is deliberately intended to prove that we are able to maintain the rhythm of our life, including in the business sector. We would like to demonstrate that however profound the sorrow that befell us sometime ago due to the inhumane terror act; it should not deter us from moving forward. We have faced that terrible criminal act, and will continue to endeavour resolving it without relenting our steps in attaining the aspiration for a prosperous and advanced life.
