ASEAN Investment Officials and Private Sector Representatives Participated in a Consultative Forum on FDI and Supply Chain Development

Bangkok, 28 March 2025 – ASEAN Investment officials and private sector representatives attended a “Consultative Forum on Foreign Direct Investment and Supply Chain Development” held on 26-28 March 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. With supply chain developments and dynamics increasingly shaping the region’s industrial development, investment attractiveness, and regional production networks, it is important for ASEAN to strengthen its supply chain network through facilitating supply chain-related FDIs into the region. Hence, this Forum aims to consult policy makers and ASEAN business councils and associations, to discuss the pivotal role of international investment in advancing supply chain growth and resilience in ASEAN.  The Forum was held immediately after the 87^th Meeting of ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Investment (CCI) at the same venue.

Attending regional private sector representatives included Mr. Jong Woo Kang, Director, Regional Cooperation and Integration Division, Asian Development Bank; Mr. Mehdi Jaouadi, Partner and Co-CEO, YCP Interactive Solutions, YCP; Mr. Tan Chee Fai, President, ASEAN Federation of Smart Industry; Mr. Raymond Yee, Vice President, Customs and Excise, DHL; Ms. Erlin Budiman, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, Surya Semesta Internusa, Indonesia; Mr. Tee Chee Seng, Executive Director, Savannakhet Economic Zone C Savan Park, Lao PDR; Mr. Brendon Bangma, Country Manager for Linfox in Laos and Cambodia, AustCham ASEAN; Mr. Chalermsak Karnchanawarin, Chairman, ASEAN Federation of Forwarder Association; Mr. Emjunan Sihite, Head of International Relations, ASEAN Automotive Industry Association and Indonesia Automotive Industry Association; Mr. Suroj Sangsnit, President, Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand; Mr. Junichiro Kuroda, President, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Southeast Asia; Mr. Martin Knoss, Regional President (ASEAN), Robert Bosch Automotive Technologies (Thailand), ASEAN-EU Business Council; Gena Ong, Vice President, Supply Chain, Kulicke and Soffa & Board Member of SEMI Southeast Asia – a global semiconductor association Southeast Asia; Mr. Andrew Chen, Director, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association; Mr. Danilo Comelio Lachica, President, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation; and Mr Nithi Atthi, Senior Manager, Thailand Printed Circuit Association.

Policy makers and private sector practitioners exchanged views and experiences on the state of development, impact, and recommendations going forward in FDI and supply chain development in the region. The areas of discussion included (i) Supply chain development and evolving networks in ASEAN, (ii) Logistics, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and multinational companies role as catalysts for building supply chain resilience, as well as (iii) FDI and Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) activities in select sectors’ supply chains and networks of semiconductor, automotive, garment and footwear, and renewable energy.

The Consultative Forum was organised by the ASEAN Secretariat, United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Board of Investment Thailand, and was supported by Australia for ASEAN Futures (Aus4ASEAN Futures).