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10Jul•Aug•Sep 2012BiZ VoiceGetty ImagesASEAN RegionSpurs InvestmentsNew survey reveals region holds goodprospects for attracting investments,says ASEAN Business Advisory Council.The ASEAN region holdsgood prospects for drawinginvestments and manybusinesses consider how attractivethe region, as a whole, is forinvestment when planning theirventures in ASEAN countries.The recent findings from the2011-2012 ASEAN BusinessAdvisory Council (ASEAN-BAC)Survey on ASEAN competitivenessalso revealed that companiesattach relatively high importanceto the region’s efforts to achievean ASEAN Economic Community(AEC) by 2015.The survey, conducted byASEAN-BAC in collaboration withDr Wong Marn Heong, AssistantProfessor at the Lee Kuan YewSchool of Public Policy, collated405 responses from all 10 ASEANmember economies. The Singaporesegment of the survey wassupported by the SingaporeBusiness Federation (SBF).Increase in investmentAccording to the survey, 88% ofbusinesses planned to invest orincrease investments in at least oneASEAN country over a three-yearhorizon (2011-2014).The top investment destinationwas Indonesia, followed by Vietnam,Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia(see Figure 1).In addition, 36.5% of respondentsindicated an ASEAN countryas offering the best prospectsworldwide for their organisations’offshore direct investments overthe next three years.ASEAN’sattractiveness wasalso rated higher thanChina’s – both as a market forgoods and services and as aproduction location.Two-fifths of businessesconsidered the investmentattractiveness of ASEAN as awhole when planning their venturesin ASEAN countries over the nextthree years.The authors of the survey reportnoted that the finding might pointto a rising consciousness amongfirms of ASEAN’s initiatives tocreate an economic community,and of the opportunities that amore integrated ASEAN mightbring, as the region’s membergovernments implement moremeasures under the AEC Blueprintand step up their outreach efforts.It was noted that some twothirdsof respondents, whoseorganisations considered theoverall investment attractivenessof ASEAN, had at least generalINDONESIAVIETNAMSINGAPORETHAILAND(Percentage of respondents)MALAYSIADevelopingSMEsThe 2011-2012 surveyalso revealed the needsand concerns of smalland medium enterpriseson the importance andeffectiveness of governmentinitiatives to promote SMEdevelopment. The findingsrevealed the following issues:● Financing● Promotion of SME innovationsand creativity● Networking among SMEsin ASEAN● Business missions to otherASEAN countries● Information on opportunitiesfrom ASEAN and ASEAN-plusFTAs and FTA-related documents● Information on SME ServiceCentresknowledge of ASEAN policyinitiatives related to trade andinvestment, compared with aroundhalf of the respondents whoseorganisations made their investmentdecisions based on the attractivenessof individual ASEAN countries.Dr Robert Yap, Singaporemember of ASEAN-BAC, noted:“It is important for policymakersin ASEAN to know what thebusiness community thinks andto respond to their concerns.” •ASEAN countries firms plan to invest in from 2011 to 201450 46 43 42 42 27 26 26 25 17PHILIPPINESLAOSCAMBODIAFindings from 2011-2012 ASEAN-BAC Survey on ASEAN competitivenessMYANMARBRUNEI
The RussianconnectionRSBF 2012 creates networking opportunities for thelocal business community.Gaining a footholdin Tianjin Eco-City11The theme for the upcomingRussia-Singapore BusinessForum (RSBF) 2012– Connecting Markets – reflects thebusiness-to-business opportunitieslinking Russia to Asia, especiallySingapore.To be held at the Marina BaySands Singapore from Sept 24 to27 this year, the event is targetingnearly 1,000 participants, thuscreating a platform to facilitate newbusiness opportunities betweenthese two markets.One of the objectives of thisforum is to cultivate both Russianpolitical and business communitiesthat will recognise and networkwith Singapore companies.In facilitating such networkingbetween local and Russianbusinesses, Singapore can be seen asa suitable destination among highnet-worthRussians for investment,wealth management and leisure.Raising market profileThe 24th Asia Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC) Summit willbe held in Vladivostok in Russia,presenting the country withnew opportunities in trade andinvestment, which will result innew policies and trends.Thus, at RSBF, speakers will helpcompanies understand how to lookat their world, tap on opportunitiesand cope with challenges to betterconduct business.Russia-Singapore BusinessForum 2012Sept 24-27Marina Bay Sands● RSBF is a business forum that hasgenerated successful connectionsbetween Russia and Singapore.● Singapore is a key connectingmarket for businesses.● RSBF is Asia’s only leading businessand networking platform to bridgeRussia and Singapore so as to reachout to top business elites from otherkey emerging economies.Visit www.rsbf.org.sg for details.As drivers of economic growthincreasingly centre on emergingand fast-developing markets, theforum will explore the ConnectingMarkets theme with a strongfocus on Asia. The differentsessions during the forum willexplore business opportunities andchallenges in Russia, especially asPresident Vladimir Putin takes upthe mantle of leadership.In line with RSBF’s mission tohelp build business relationships,the forum will also have focusedsessions to engineer businessencounters on a one-to-one level.For certain sessions, the topics willinclude real estate as investmentvehicles, industrial parks as modelsof development and technology asways of collaboration betweenboth business communities. •Singapore-based firms looking toenter the rapidly growing northernChina market can tap on someS$9.5 million worth of assistance.IE Singapore announced recentlythat funding will be providedover a period of five years andwill be administered through theSino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-CityInvestment and DevelopmentCo Ltd – the master developer ofTianjin Eco-City.Officials said this assistanceaims to promote and encourageSingapore-based firms to establishand develop an overseas businessfoothold in the northern Chinamarket by leveraging on the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.Ms Jamie Lim, Regional MarketingDirector, Scanteak“We believeTianjin Eco-Cityis the right placeto plant our basestep in China, fromwhich we willbe conducting athorough marketresearch anddetermining ourmarket strategies.”Getty Images
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