DOHA: Qatar is set to host a high-level business summit to identify investment opportunities in Asean and GCC countries on October 8 and 9, a release said yesterday.
The Summit will be organised under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani by international media group and consultancy ‘Inside Investor’ in conjunction with Qatari Businessmen Association.
The two-day event will bring together heads of state, investors and top-level company executives from Asean and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to identify investment opportunities in both regions.
Senior executives from more than 100 companies will attend the forum at the St Regis Doha hotel. More than 500 delegates have confirmed their attendance, and 46 speakers are scheduled to discuss the latest investment trends, opportunities, partnerships and portfolio diversification strategies.
Asia will be the most important emerging-market region for the GCC in the coming years, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit on GCC trade and investment flows. The total trade between Asean and the GCC was valued at $83.25bn as per latest available figures in 2010, up 23.64 percent from $67.33bn in 2009.
The largest recent commitment of a GCC member state in Asean was the agreement between Qatar and Vietnam to undertake a $4bn real estate development project and a multi-billion investment in a joint venture to build a petrochemical complex in the country. There are also notable investments in Indonesia and Malaysia from the Gulf region, which halal food exports from Thailand to the GCC booming as the Southeast Asian nation looks to seal a rice pact. The current Asean-GCC Two-Year Action Plan (2010-2012) has been used to identify activities and measures for closer collaboration and cooperation to be jointly undertaken between the two regions.
Other prominent members who will be present in the event include H E Sheikh Jassim bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani, Minister of Business and Trade; Sheikh Jassam bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, Chairman of the QIB; and Sheikh Dr Abdullah, Vice-President of the Qatar Foundation.
In tandem with Gulf countries, investors can find a broad spectrum of opportunities in Southeast Asia, be it in oil and gas, finance, infrastructure, food security, real estate, technology, environmental techniques, technical training, or others. For asset and wealth managers, the increased activity at the regional stock exchanges, especially in Malaysia, and the growing importance of both regions’ capital markets, is another draw.
The Prime Minster of Malaysia, Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, is expected to give a speech, as well as the Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, who is due to confirm, schedule permitting.
Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of (Asean) is scheduled to give a keynote speech on day one of the event. The event will also see the launch of in-depth business reports in both regions produced by Inside Investor, containing specialised information for investors, namely the detailed two-part Inside Asean 2012 report, as well as Inside Qatar 2012.
The Peninsula
