Secretary-General and Southeast Asia ambassadors in Adelaide
The ASEAN Secretary-General and 11 ambassadors are among the who’s who of Southeast Asia’s top public and private sector leaders descending on Adelaide.
The Australia-ASEAN Business Forum is set to take over Adelaide next week, with business leaders and Southeast Asian dignitaries in the city for the major conference.
About 500 attendees were expected at the Business Forum on September 29 and 30, including the likes of ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of ASEAN Milena Rangel.
Ambassadors from all 11 ASEAN countries will also be in attendance for the two-day conference that is about connecting SEA with Australia to encourage long-term relationships and investment in Adelaide and local businesses.
It will be the third time the Forum is hosted in Adelaide, with chairman Francis Wong – based in Adelaide – having first secured the major gathering in the SA capital back in 2014. It was also hosted in Adelaide last year.
Wong – a prominent South Australian business leader – told InDaily that the conference was a way to connect SA businesses with Southeast Asian political and industry leaders.
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The ASEAN Secretary General would host about 10 private meetings with ministers and private sector leaders.
“We try to facilitate that as much as possible,” Wong said, adding that Southeast Asian companies had struck up major partnerships with Australian companies in the past, like Gamuda Malaysia working on the $880 million Parramatta metro station and Singaporean investment firm Temasek funding big Australian civil engineering projects.
“ASEAN is one of the most dynamic blocs globally.
“I wanted to make sure that SA saw the benefits, because we are not as export-oriented as other states.
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“I think the message is very important for SA to realise the importance of the Southeast Asian market. There are 700 million people just above us.”
Over the two days, attendees will watch expert panels on major topics important to the ASEAN region.
Of particular importance this year is the energy transition, Wong saying he wanted to emphasise the theme after Adelaide failed to secure the major COP31 climate conference.
Other major topics for discussion at the Forum include agriculture, the digital transition, human capital, infrastructure development and trade and investment.
But much of the action will take place on the sidelines of the Forum, with nations hosting their own roundtable events and ministers hosting meetings during the two days.
“The issue we have now is that Australia can see the opportunity but we are not fast enough to go and grab the opportunity,” Wong said.
“That’s why we bring the mountain to Mohammad.
“Do your homework, come to the forum, meet the people and understand who is who.”
The Australian-ASEAN Business Forum takes place on September 29 and 30 with ticketed events.
InDaily is the media partner for the Australian-ASEAN Business Forum.
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