APEC CEO DIALOGUES MALAYSIA 2020 VIRTUALLY CONNECTS GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS LEADERS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 -- The two-day APEC CEO Dialogues Malaysia 2020, which starts tomorrow, will bring together government and business leaders from 21 APEC member economies to address the urgent issues facing the Asia-Pacific region and the world following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Themed "APEC Re-Imagined: Priorities in the Aftermath of COVID-19," the APEC CEO Dialogue discussions will focus on the region's and the world's most pressing challenges and how governments and the private sector can work together to spur growth in the aftermath of the pandemic, said event host APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) - Malaysia.

The APEC CEO Dialogues Malaysia 2020 will be the first all-virtual reimagination of the annual APEC CEO Summit, known as "the Board meeting of the Asia-Pacific," for the COVID-19 era.

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"This year has been more disruptive, difficult, uncertain and challenging than most people could have imagined. Global trade and investment can lead to economic recovery and resilience to future crises," ABAC chair Datuk Rohana Mahmood said in a statement today.

"The APEC CEO Dialogues Malaysia 2020 will offer a forum for the region's leaders to discuss their commitment to open markets, integration, inclusion and sustainability to achieve economic growth and stability within our communities," she said.

The APEC CEO Dialogues will feature an engaging, 25-hour programme, and the participants will include APEC leaders, global CEOs, visionary entrepreneurs, highly respected thought leaders and subject matter experts from across the region.

Meanwhile, APEC CEO Dialogues Malaysia 2020 chair Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam added that the current challenges facing the world call for a globally coordinated response.

"The APEC CEO Dialogues Malaysia 2020 presents a unique opportunity for exchange, cooperation and partnership – both between the public and private sectors, and among the 21 economies that comprise APEC," he added.

Session topics include essential digital ingredients of a path to post-COVID recovery, the state of the world in the aftermath of COVID-19, the future of international cooperation, and the future of global growth.

Confirmed current speakers include economy leaders such as Malaysia's Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, China's President Xi Jinping, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long and Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

-- BERNAMA