Southeast Asia descends on South Australia

The stage is set in Adelaide to welcome 750 national and international delegates, including senior diplomatic officials, major investors and commercial leaders for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Business Forum.

The event will be held in South Australia for the first time in more than a decade, focusing on trade and investment in renewable energy, the green economy, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and unlocking further opportunities as part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free trade agreement.

ASEAN is a cooperative group of 10 Southeast Asia countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam which together, represent a region of more than 600 million people.

“In a significant milestone for South Australia, over 70 per cent of attendees will be visiting Adelaide for the first time, providing a unique opportunity to showcase the state’s dynamic growth, innovation and investment potential,” said Francis Wong OAM, Chairman, Australia-ASEAN Business Forum.

“This is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase South Australia to influential business leaders and investors from across our region. We are confident the Forum will unlock long-term partnerships and new opportunities that will benefit both Australia and ASEAN, especially South Australia.

“The Australia-ASEAN Business Forum is set to be a landmark event that reinforces Adelaide’s reputation as a forward-looking, globally connected city and positions South Australia as a hub for international collaboration.”

Speakers at the two-day Forum include:

·       Hon Dr Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN

·       HE Tiffany McDonald, Australia’s Ambassador to ASEAN

·       Tann Sri Nazir Razak, ASEAN Business Advisory Council-Malaysia Chairman

·       Andrew McKellar, CEO Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

·       Dianne Tipping, Chair of the Export Council of Australia

·       Kevin Gallagher, Managing Director, Santos Inc.

Supported by the South Australian Government, the Forum’s return to the state comes after Southeast Asia was identified as one of South Australia’s priority markets in the Trade and Investment Strategy to 2030.

An economic powerhouse that is on track to be the world’s fourth largest economy by 2040, the Southeast Asia region’s growth is being fuelled by a rapidly expanding middle-class and surging industrialisation, urbanisation and technological advances.