The 2015 Asian-African Business Summit (AABS 2015), titled “Realisation of Asia-Pacific Partnership for Progress and Prosperity”, convened on April 21 in Jakarta, Indonesia to foster the Asian-African business ties.

The business summit, part of the ongoing Asian-African Conference in Indonesia, saw the presence of 500 delegates including state officials, diplomats and business leaders from Asia and Africa. It focused discussions on maritime affairs, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investments.

In his opening speech, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said it is time for Asia and Africa to boost their cooperation in trade and investment and for the business community to play a greater role in materialising the Bandung Conference Spirit.

He urged country members to create more favourable business climates and encourage their private sectors to conduct business with the governments.

The one-day event opened an opportunity for enterprises to discuss plans to strengthen collaboration within the private sector and between the two continents.

Bilateral meetings between state leaders were also held on the sidelines of the summit, which runs through April 24.-VNA