The Myanmar-Japan Business Forum was held on the morning of 28 July at the Myanmar Convention Centre (Yangon) in Mayangon Township, Yangon Region. Below are the responses provided by Dr Khine Khine Soe, Deputy Minister and Spokesperson for the President’s Office, to media enquiries regarding the forum.
Question: First of all, could you please tell us about today’s Myanmar-Japan Business Forum?
Answer: Today’s Myanmar-Japan Business Forum was jointly organized by the Association of Myanmar Japan Socio-Economic Development Cooperation (AMJSEDC), INGO PEACE from Japan, and Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce. The main objective was to enhance the existing friendly relations between Japan and Myanmar, as well as to promote trade and investment.
Question: The President also honoured today’s forum with his presence. Could you please share what benefits and positive prospects this could bring to both countries?
Answer: The peoples of Japan and Myanmar have shared a long-standing relationship built on friendship and mutual respect over many years. Furthermore, in terms of economic cooperation, Japan is one of Myanmar’s major partners, ranking sixth in trade and ninth in investment. Additionally, Japan’s investment in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has reached 29.92 per cent. Therefore, economic and friendly cooperation between Japan and Myanmar remains strong.
Therefore, in recognition of this long-standing relationship, the President himself attended today’s business forum. He extended an invitation to further promote investment, trade, and friendly relations between the two countries. The President also stated in his speech that, if investments are made in Myanmar, a favourable environment will be created to facilitate such investment activities.
Question: An invitation for investment was extended again today. Could you also share the number of Japanese business leaders who attended the forum?
Answer: Today’s business forum was attended by 94 business leaders from Japan, along with more than 300 participants from Myanmar.
Question: Could you also share the positive outcomes that are expected to result from the friendly relations between the two countries?
Answer: Today’s business forum consists of an opening ceremony in the first part, followed by plenary discussion sessions in the second part. During these sessions, we will discuss our policies, procedures, and the support we will provide investors with Myanmar’s economy, trade, and investment. Afterwards, four MoUs will be signed. Through these discussions, we hope to boost trade with Japan, enhance business-to-business (B2B) economic cooperation between people and companies, and further strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.
Our country has abundant natural resources and vast agricultural land. As our economy mainly relies on agriculture and livestock farming, cooperation can also be promoted in these sectors.
Another factor is that our country has an abundant young workforce, which is one of our country’s strengths. On the other hand, Japan’s strengths lie in its advanced technology and capital. Therefore, if Japanese companies come and invest in our country, combining Myanmar’s strengths with Japan’s strengths will create a win-win situation for both nations. I would also like to emphasize that this will make a significant contribution to the socioeconomic development of our people.
The News Team
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