Selangor 8th ASEAN Business Conference

ASEAN-BAC Malaysia was invited to be a part of the Selangor 8th ASEAN Business Conference panel with Executive Director Ms Jukhee Hong as moderator, Mr Chris Humphrey, Executive Director for EU-ASEAN Business Council, Ms Josephine Romero the Senior Advisor ASEAN Business Advisory, YM Raja Badrulnizam Kamalzaman the Senior Planning Division of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Mr Kelvin Kee of the Singapore Business Foundation (SBF) as panel speakers.

The panellists discussed Influence of FTAs on ASEAN trade and agreed that RCEP, CPTPP, and IPEF have brought positive impact on exports volume, dometic policy reform and new market access. However, challenges such as non-tariff-barriers, noodle-bowls effect of multiple overlapping provisions of these FTAs, and certain reservations and exceptions to these FTAs hinder its full potential. Business associations have critical roles to play in bridging the gaps between the private and public sectors.