The 10th ASEAN-EU Business Summit was successfully completed at the Sofitel Brussels, Belgium on 13 December. The summit which brought together political leaders, business leaders and government officials from the EU and ASEAN was held as part of the 45th ASEAN Commemorative Summit event on 14 December 2022.
The summit was organized by the EU-ASEAN Business Council to further strengthen the already strong trade and investment relationship between ASEAN and the EU. It is a platform for political leaders, business leaders and government officials from the EU and ASEAN to discuss and exchange views on the theme of the conference, which is Enhancing ASEAN-EU Trade: Sustainable Development for All.
The meeting was also attended by YB Liew Chin Tong, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) who was accompanied by senior Ministry officials and MITI officials in Brussels.
Liew who was appointed as deputy minister on 10 December 2022 was present as a representative of YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of International Trade and Industry.
During the summit, Liew participated in the C-Suite Luncheon discussion together with Foreign Minister YB Senator Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir who led the Malaysian delegation to the 45th ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit to represent YAB the Prime Minister.
Liew also participated in the Fireside Chat session with HRH Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner of the European Commission. In a session moderated by Tuan Noel Clehane, EU-ABC Executive Board Member, Liew and Dombrovskis exchanged views on strengthening ASEAN-EU trade and investment relations.
Liew stressed that the EU as one of the main blocks of the world economy needs to approach ASEAN more closely because the region provides vast market opportunities.
When asked how the EU and ASEAN can bridge the goal gap between the two regions to promote mutual trade agreements, he stated that the gap can be bridged through support in the form of funding, technology transfer and capacity building programmes.
Liew added that the two regions also need to strengthen ties in key areas of cooperation to ensure a high return of added value that can benefit the people of ASEAN countries and the EU. He hopes ASEAN and the EU will work closely together to create a strong middle class society in all ASEAN countries.
Liew also accompanied Dr Zambry to attend the 45th ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit on 14 December 2022 which was attended by more than 40 ASEAN and EU heads of state.
He was also present at the signing ceremony of the Malaysia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (MEUPCA) together with Dr Zambry. The MEUPCA is expected to pave the way for reviving bilateral trade negotiations between Malaysia and the EU that have been stalled since 2012.
