I am honoured to give my second Chairman’s statement for the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC). It will remain my primary objective to ensure that PBEC continues to be a voice of business and where required to actively engage in dialogues with governments such that the collective viewpoints of the private sector is represented. We also remain committed to expanding our membership base to form an exclusive association of around 100 business and institutional leaders.

Over the past 12 months we have undertaken initiatives to further raise the profile and membership of PBEC. Our membership has been diversified and expanded to include new members in Europe, North America and Japan. We have also successfully established formal tie-ups with international conferences and research institutions providing members the opportunity to participate in a variety of business event programs in different countries.

The business environment will remain tough and we anticipate new challenges stemming from Europe and North America as the Eurozone crisis and US fiscal cliff plays out. Closer to the Pacific Region the security issues in East Asia and the ASEAN regions remain to be of concern. Through closer links with APEC, ADB and other fora, we see the growing importance of our role in engaging our members within process of specific issues such as credit rating, food security and service industries liberalization.

We strongly recognize the significant role SMEs have in sustaining economic growth. In response to these challenges we will engage in closer discussions with governments and external stakeholders providing our viewpoints on cross border business issues affecting SME growth. We will continue to strengthen our connections between members and policy-makers. We will also explore further tie-ups with respected chambers and institutions to increase the number of event programs to enhance the learning and networking opportunity for our members.

As a knowledge sharing and advocacy membership organisation, PBEC will continue to grow, forming an influential and recognised platform for businesses with an international outlook.

Wong Ying Wai, Wilfred

Chairman
Pacific Basin Economic Council