South Asian Diaspora Convention will focus on Regional Trade and Business Opportunity
Published Date: Monday, Oct 21, 2013
Boosting trade and investment ties both within South Asia and between South and South East Asia will take centre stage at SADC
South Asia’s rapidly growing middle class and the potential this represents for businesses looking to expand their presence in the region will be a central focus of the second South Asian Diaspora Convention. Boosting trade and investment ties both within South Asia and between South and South East Asia will take centre stage at SADC 2013 to be held in Singapore from 21-22 November.
Ambassador Gopinath Pillai, Chairman of ISAS and Chairman of SADC Organising Committee, said, “There will be substantive discussions on the opportunities for increasing trade and investment between South and South East Asia and more critically within South Asia to foster a greater regional integration that will hopefully lead to more prosperity and stability in this region in the long term. With over 1000 delegates from around the world expected to attend SADC 2013, the event will provide an excellent and unique platform for business leaders and delegates attending to freely interact, network and discover opportunities for business in each other’s markets.”
Wide-ranging discussions are expected around the opportunities and challenges anticipated as the region’s middle-class continues to swell in numbers, even as its economies face a slowdown.
Issues such as financial integration, financial inclusion and various aspects of intra-regional trade and investment within South Asia will also be covered in panel discussions, led by a strong line-up of over 40 high profile participants, including business leaders, trade and finance experts, foreign policy specialists, government leaders and public policymakers.
Business in focus at SADC 2013
In light of the recent economic hurdles confronting the region – in particular India, with the sharp fall of its currency and high current account deficit – the convention will feature discussions and debates around business, trade, investments and financial policy.
One of the highlights at this year’s convention will be a dialogue between Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Singapore; Mr P Chidambaram, Minister of Finance, India; Mr S Gopalakrishnan, President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman, Infosys Limited, India; and Mr Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, India, which will be moderated by Prof Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.