No less than the greatest socio- economic transformation the region has ever seen is the landscape young entrepreneurs face as they look for opportunities in a rapidly changing world.
That was the key messages heard by attendees at the two-day 7th ASEAN-China Young Entrepreneurs Forum, held in the Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday.
Welcoming delegates including business leaders, young entrepreneurs and fellow delegates from 11 countries, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Laos Mrs Khemmani Pholsena said the region’s policymakers had a responsibility to create the business- enabling environment where the entrepreneurial drive of the young can develop and thrive. “Young people are key agent for social and economic development everywhere,”Ms Khemmani said.
Addressing a VIP panel discussion on AEC and Young Entrepreneurs role in ASEAN and Economic Development in ASEAN and China, ASEAN BAC Chairman Dr Munir Majid of Malaysia said the globe’s economic center of gravity was increasingly shifting east.
Dr Majid identified the market for services in the region as a growth area where China’s experience of rapid innovation, including e-commerce and e-finance, could be matched with the aspirations of a young and growing population with potential for multiplied growth.
Vice Chairman of the Association of China Young Entrepreneurs and Hefei Royalstar Electronic Appliance Company Ltd Chairman Mr Pan Baochun joined a panel on the role of young entrepreneurs in addressing the region’s soft and hard infrastructure development needs.
Speaking to Xinhua in Vientiane, he said the ASEAN-China YE Forum, now in it’s 7th iteration, was helping to make a significant impact on each country of ASEAN and China. “Young entrepreneurs are making more and more contributions to promoting economic growth, through cultural exchange and enhancing these important economic relationships,”Pan said.