| Daniel Lim |
CONNECTIVITY should be enhanced in a more comprehensive and complementary manner to realise sustainable connectivity, said Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof.
He said, “In a sense, the connectivity has to be made in collaboration with others, and by coming together we can help to drive the link to form a bigger market, which helps to incentivise tourists to visit the area.”
Connectivity within the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) sub-region was among the key topics discussed at the 22nd BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting and Related Meeting by the minister during a press conference held in between the meeting yesterday.
Held from November 23-26 at the V-Plaza Hotel in Kuala Belait, the meeting saw officials from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines discussing topics on the best approach to help bolster the economy of the countries under the BIMP-EAGA.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah and Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan co-chaired the meeting.
Present at the meeting were Senior Advisor to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs on Regional Development of Indonesia Bobby Hamzar Rafinus; Deputy Director General (Policy), Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia Dato’ Dr Noor Zari Hamat; Chairman of Mindanao Development Authority of the Philippines Datu Abul Khayr Alonto; Director General of Southeast Asia Department of Asian Development Bank Ramesh Subramaniam; and ASEAN Secretary General Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi.
The meeting also marked the involvement of China at a ministerial level for the first time, helping to further drive the economical growth of the region by strengthening its cooperation with BIMP-EAGA.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan also stressed the importance of the inclusion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as part of the engine of the economical growth, which was also another topic discussed during the meetings.
He noted that China’s involvement in this year’s ministerial meeting represents not only a development partner, but also a large substantial market to be tapped into, which can help benefit both parties.
“Among the strength of BIMP-EAGA is in agriculture, produce, and more. As such, we have looked into nine areas of cooperation that can help kickstart the upgraded cooperation between BIMP-EAGA and China, some of which were discussed in the meeting,” he noted.
He explained that the meeting also delved into how to best focus on certain key areas to start with, and how to gain the early harvest that is mutually beneficial for both parties.
He said, “With the strengthening of the ASEAN-China relations, this opportunity represents a platform to create a better environment for BIMP-EAGA in establishing a stronger relationship with China.”
Furthermore, the strengthening of relations can also help focus more on the infrastructure development through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and that through the developed infrastructure, can help link the region together and drive economical growth by providing important avenue for businesses to interact and trade through these infrastructure.
“With the infrastructure in place, we can help complement each other’s strength to make full use of each country’s own unique advantages,” he explained, referring to the notion of enhancing connectivity in a complementary manner.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew noted that as the country is diversifying its economy, and as part of the BIMP-EAGA collaboration, it can help create various downstream opportunities which will help drive the next phase of development as well as new opportunities for economic activities in Brunei.
He said, “These opportunities can also extend to neighbouring countries, as over time, these activities can help encourage the growth of other services and products within Brunei as well as in the neighbouring countries.”
Among the topics discussed during the 22nd BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting and Related Meeting included the achievements and developments of projects, and initiatives under the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025 (BEV2025); as well as strengthening cooperation with the People’s Republic of China, Northern Territory; as well as the Asian Development Bank, ASEAN Secretariat and the Islamic Development Bank.