International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed will lead the Malaysian delegation to the three-day World Economic Forum on (WEF) on Asean 2017 in Phnom Penh, which begins tomorrow.

More than 630 participants, including 30 heads of state/government, government representatives and 500 global corporate leaders are expected to attend the forum.

Mustapa has been invited by WEF to lead the discussion on E-commerce facilitation during the “Towards a Regional Digital Single Market” session tomorrow, the International Trade and Industry Ministry said in a statement today.

The session participants would discuss practical approaches to improve logistics, transportation, electronic payment rules, digital authentication, regulatory environment around online consumer protection.

Mustapa is also scheduled to meet his Cambodian counterpart Pan Sorasak and Minister Attached to the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Othsman Hassan.

Other sideline meetings include a meeting with the Malaysian community, including the business professionals in Cambodia.

Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Chua Tee Yong will participate in the WEF Opening Plenary: “50 Years Young”, Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders (IGWEL): Asean at 50, Asean Regional Strategy Group Meeting and Cultural Soiree hosted by the Cambodian government.

Private sector bosses in team

The Malaysian delegation includes representatives from the private sectors, namely CIMB Group Holdings chairperson Nazir Razak; AirAsia Group Bhd group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes; managing director, president and group chief executive officer of Axiata Group Jamaludin Ibrahim; and Qi Group of Companies executive chairperson Vijay Eswaran.

WEF is an independent international organisation for public-private cooperation, established four decades ago with a mission to improve the economic condition of the world.

Besides its annual meeting in Davos held in January each year, WEF also organises meetings at the regional level.

Malaysia hosted the WEF on Asean 2016 and for this year, Cambodia has been selected as the host country.

The WEF on Asean 2017 coincides with the 50th anniversary of Asean, a region with a population of 630 million people, of which more than half are under the age of 30.

In this regard, the forum offers an ideal platform for greater collaboration between industry, government and civil society in shaping the future for the region’s young and tapping the full potential of Asean.

The theme for this year’s event is 'Youth, Technology and Growth: Securing Asean’s Digital and Demographic Dividends', in which the participants will undertake discourse on three main pillars, which are: Asean in the new Global Context; Asean and the Connectivity Agenda; and Asean and the Youth Agenda.

- Bernama