A/P and ASEAN Integration: Opportunities and Challenges for Local and Global Firms

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New World Hotel Saigon • Friday, March 23, 2007

Click the red-highlighted links to view and/or download the presentations and the speakers’ biographic information.

Click here to download a PowerPoint file with photos from the 40th APCAC Annual Meeting.

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Schedule and Agenda

In addition to discussing the framework and direction of APEC initiatives, how does APEC fit into the global trade environment (WTO Doha Round and U.S. Trade Promotion Authority). What are the key U.S. trade & investment initiatives vis-à-vis leading economies, such as Japan, Korea, China, ASEAN, Australia-New Zealand, India, etc. Click the topic to read the remarks. Click the name for biographic information. Click here for additional background reading.

Intel Products Vietnam is part of Intel’s global supply chain network producing the world’s most advanced silicon products, and will assemble and test Intel’s latest technology products ranging from Microprocessors to Chipsets. Announced in 2006, this $1 billion, 500,000 sq.ft. facility will be the largest in Intel’s network and is estimated to start production in early 2009, in the Saigon High-Tech Park. What is Intel’s strategy in selecting Asia, Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City for this global facility?

“It takes two to tango” is a well known saying. Intel’s partner in this venture was the Saigon Hi-Tech Park. How did the management at the SHTP work to understand Intel’s needs and build the relationship and the infrastructure that would encourage and support Intel’s decision? Click the highlighted name and title to download the presentation.

Brief presentations (7 minutes each), followed by discussion of how policy initiatives in key areas like standards/conformity, IPR protection, ,and infrastructure development funding, are translated into business reality with government/business cooperation programs. Click the highlighted name(s) and title(s) above to download the presentation(s).

In addition to the U.S. strategy, other major Asia/Pacific economies have their own visions and strategies for economic and business development in the region. How can we develop positive synergies with these different visions? Ambassador Burghardt’s broad, senior-level experience in the region (Beijing, Manila, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Hanoi) will help provide a valuable perspective for your business strategy. Click the topic to download the remarks. Click the name/title for biographic information. Click here for additional background reading.

Mr. SyCip is founder of the SGV Group, an auditing and management consulting company with operations throughout East Asia. He is chairman of the Asian Institute of Management (Philippines), honorary chairman of the Euro-Asia Centre, INSEAD (France), chairman of the Asia Pacific Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange (New York), member of the Board of Governors of the Chinese Heritage Centre (Singapore), and member of the board of directors of numerous companies in Southeast Asia.

Australia is host country for APEC in 2007, and Australian Ambassador Heseltine will provide an update on the APEC focus this year. In 1989, APEC began as an informal Ministerial-level dialogue group with 12 members, so Ambassador Heseltine will have a valuable perspective on the development, current status, and future of APEC. For the U.S., APEC is the premier regional institution in the Asia Pacific. The Bogor (Indonesia) Goals of “free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacifric by 2010 for developed economies and 2020 for developing economies” were established in 1994.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting the development of infrastructure in the Greater Mekong Subregion, including transport infrastructure such as the “East-West Corridor” and the “North-South Corridor” as well as telecommunications infrastructure. In Vietnam, the ADB assistance strategy to Vietnam for the period 2007-2010 including a plan to provide US$ 3 billion in 2007-2009.

An APEC Goal 2000-2005 was to *“reduce business transactions costs by 5%”* with a focus on telecommunications and logistics and supply chain management. This goal was achieved. Now APEC has set a goal to reduce business transactions costs by another 5% between 2006-2010. Recently a Logistics/Supply Chain Management (L/SCM) expert noted that L/SCM costs WITHIN China were 30% of GDP, compared with about 10% in the US and Europe. How can improvements in cross-border cooperation on ICT, L/SCM (including Customs), and other efforts by regional institutions (APEC, ASEAN, ADB, etc.) and businesses (APCAC members, etc.) achieve the targeted efficiency goal?