Kuala Lumpur To Host Next Year’s World Economic Forum On East Asia
posted by Glen Stidolph in Malaysia, Economic |
The 17th World Economic Forum on East Asia which brings together business, political and government leaders, will be hosted by Kuala Lumpur in June next year.
In his closing remarks at the 16th World Economic Forum on East Asia, held in Singapore, Malaysian Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said that the forum in the Malaysian capital will take place on June 15 and 16.
“On behalf of the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) and the government of Malaysia, let me be the first to invite you to join us to continue with this important dialogue,” he said as he extended the “Selamat Datang” or welcome greetings to participants at this year’s forum.
300 major business and political leaders from 26 countries attended the Singaporean event where they discussed four broad themes concerning Asia, namely Asian leadership, risk management, sustainable growth as well as innovation.
Nor Mohamed said that during the two-day event there had been a great deal of discussions on the threats and challenges facing the region.
“I think this is rightly so because while we are now in a financially strong position, much stronger than even before the crisis. We should nevertheless be on the lookout for things on the horizon that can derail our efforts,” he said.
Asia today, said Nor Mohamed, was a continent of stark contrast — it is a home to the very rich but also host to the very poor, a region which has managed to raise the development bar but also host development gap within and between countries.
The 17th forum is slated to address ways to overcome these challenges.
