Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (right) and World Economic Forum President Borge Brende chair a press conference on the WEF ASEAN 2018 in Hanoi on June 27. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The hosting of the 2018 World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN 2018) will deepen cooperation between Vietnam and the WEF and promote the country among the political circles as well as leading global and regional enterprises, said a senior official.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, who is also head of the organizing committee, made the comment at a press conference on the WEF ASEAN 2018 in Hanoi on June 27.
The WEF ASEAN 2018 is scheduled to take place in Hanoi from September 11-13, focusing on the theme “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” It is one of the WEF’s biggest and most important events in the region, Son said.
The event will bring together leaders of ASEAN and regional nations, representatives of international organisations, policymakers, experts, scholars, and business leaders in the region and the world.
This year’s theme addresses the common concerns of ASEAN member states and other countries in the region and is closely connected to the ASEAN theme for 2018 “Resilient and Innovative,” the deputy minister noted.
[Infographics: WEF ASEAN 2018 to take place in Hanoi]
By hosting the event, Vietnam expects to step up cooperation with partners, leading world enterprises, expand markets and attract high-quality investments and advanced technologies for the country’s economic restructuring and renovation of growth model, he added,
WEF President Borge Brende spoke highly of Vietnam’s robust economic growth and competitiveness. He stressed that Industry 4.0 brings both opportunities and challenges to ASEAN nations and the WEF wants to foster partnership with ASEAN to tackle these challenges for the benefit of people in the region.
The event will address strategic issues of national and regional significance under three thematic pillars – Entrepreneurship to craft new approaches to regional and global governance; Entrepreneurship to drive economic and business dynamism; and Entrepreneurship to shape social inclusion.
The WEF was established in 1971 as a non-profit foundation and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.-VNA
VNA