The arrival of Myanmar President Thein Sein in Siem Reap on Friday to
join US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made for an interesting finish on a
leader-packed evening dinner at Le Meridian Hotel following a meeting of the US
ASEAN Business Forum.
The all-day forum, attended by
nearly every US ambassador in the region, as well as senior executives from big
American companies including Ford, Google, General Electric, and Coca-Cola, as
well as Cambodian business leaders including Neak Oknha Kith Meng, included
breakout sessions on topics such as entrepreneurship, infrastructure and
connectivity, attracted greater than expected numbers.
In his speech, which followed
those of Clinton, Hun Sen and Yingluck, the Myanmar president spoke of the
reforms taking place in his country, telling the audience that Myanmar had to
“walk out” from a centralised system that had been practised for a half century
and eventually build a mature democratic state by reforming the executive,
legislative and judiciary bodies.
He said Aung San Suu Kyi had been
invited to hold discussions openly, that his government had granted amnesty to
many prisoners, and had relaxed regulations on media and telecommunications,
including an easing of censorship procedures. “We have committed ourselves to
enact a media law for media freedom and transparency in the near future.”
While security was high, once the
dinner was under way, a relaxed mood fell over the crowd and Hun Sen, sitting
next to Clinton, enjoyed a salmon dinner along with the Thai prime minister,
the Myanmar president and a mix of Cambodian and US business leaders at the
long head table.
Thein Sein said following 60
years of conflict, lasting peace was another reform objective in Myanmar and
noted the launching of a new system last year to enable the signing of peace
agreements with 10 armed ethnic groups.
For economic policy, Thein Sein
said reform action was under way to transform a centralised economy into a
market-oriented economy, using a new Micro-Finance Act and seeking help and
assistance from foreign experts.
The Myanmar president expressed
regret that his country was now unable to receive assistance from the international
monetary institutions including the World Bank, the International Monetary
Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme
because of sanctions now in place. Cambodia’s own country head for the ADB,
Putu Kamayana, is leaving Cambodia this week to get ADB operations under way in
Myanmar.
“We have the fervent desire to
seek technical know-how and to set up economic engagement with other countries,
but the challenge is that sanctions are still restricting us from doing so,”
Thein Sein said.
“Myanmar has lagged behind in
development for the last 60 years,” he said, underscoring Myanmar’s commitment
to participate actively in the aims of the “Rich ASEAN 2030” vision, including
a green economy to protect the environment and prevent natural disasters.
There were also significant
numbers of government and business leaders from ASEAN countries including
Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and a number of Cambodian
officials including Sun Chanthol, vice chairman of the Council for the
Development of Cambodia who gave a rousing speech of welcome to the packed
house of mixed ASEAN business leaders. Clinton, whose speech was the first of
the evening, complimented the Myanmar president.
“I also want to thank President
Thein Sein, who has moved his country such a long distance in such a short
period of time,” Secretary Clinton said, adding that it was the largest
US-ASEAN event ever assembled.
One of Clinton’s deputies, Under
Secretary of State Bob Hormats, left Siem Reap with a delegation of about 70
business leaders for Myanmar following the Friday event.
Clinton arrived in Egypt
yesterday to meet with military leaders there, following a popular uprising
that toppled Hosni Mubarak from leadership in February 2011.
She said the US delegation in
Siem Reap of more than 70 US business leaders was the largest in memory. “We’re
excited by what lies ahead, and we’re very supportive of President Thein Sein’s
economic and political reforms,” Clinton said. “We’re paying particular
attention to ASEAN and Southeast Asia. We’re pursuing an economic statecraft
and jobs diplomacy agenda to promote sustainable growth and prosperity across
the region and, of course, we know that by doing so it will help the countries
of ASEAN, but it will also help the United States.”
Clinton said US exports to ASEAN
countries were more than $76 billion in 2011, up 42 per cent since 2009.
“We have more than twice as much
investment in ASEAN as we do in China. So there is a great deal of potential for
continuing to grow our economic activity,” she said, calling on the development
of a more integrated ASEAN market by harmonising customs and improving
regulatory standards.
“Later this fall, our trade
ministers will gather here in Siem Reap to discuss ways to advance our Trade
and Investment Framework Agreement, the operating system of our economic
partnership,” she said.
Clinton also complimented Hun
Sen. “Cambodia has achieved tremendous economic progress during the tenure of
Prime Hun Sen, and the United States is proud of our economic partnership,” she
said.
“The United States is the number
one importer of Cambodian-made garments – and this is a shameless plug, but I
will say it anyway – thanks to trade deals we did back in the 1990s.” She
mentioned US industrial giant General Electric’s deal in Cambodia for a
rice-husk biomass power plant.
Insiders describe 2012 as the
highest point in Prime Minister Hun Sen’s political career because of
Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship this year and the presence of leaders from
Myanmar, Thailand and the US secretary of state underscored that feeling.
He looked comfortable and healthy
during his speech, saying he hoped that Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia could in the
future be eligible for membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which
required APEC membership. He also expressed appreciation to the US for the
Lower Mekong Cooperation Initiative.
Stuart Alan Becker
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment