The ASEAN Consuls General in Vancouver engage the Surrey Board of Trade in a Roundtable

(L-R) Mr. Afandi Bakar, Consul General of Malaysia, Consul General Arlene Magno, Ms. Anita Huberman, President and CEO of SBOT, Mr. Hendra Halim, Consul General of Indonesia, Mr.  Rutch Soratana, Consul General of Thailand, and Mr. Dung Ho, Consul of Viet Nam 

15 May 2024 – As part of the ASEAN Consuls General in Vancouver (ACGV) Surrey City One-Day Tour, the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, as the current Chair of the ACGV, organized a roundtable business discussion for the ACGV with the Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT).  Twenty-two members of the SBOT with businesses in real estate, construction, management support services, mineral industry, engineering, aviation, environment remediation technology, law, education, and immigration services attended the roundtable.

SBOT President and CEO Anita Huberman warmly welcomed the participants to the roundtable discussion, promoting Surrey as proactive in investments, future-ready in infrastructure, innovation and research, and a major hub for manufacturing in the region. She defined the role of the SBOT in facilitating vital links between local businesses and those of other countries and highlighted its network with the Consulates, Chambers of Commerce and other international organizations.  A video clip showcasing Surrey as Canada’s gateway to the United States and the Indo-Pacific Region followed her welcome remarks.

B.C. Minister of State for Trade and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Fleetwood Jagrup Brar and Member of Parliament for Fleetwood-Port Kells Ken Hardie were likewise present at the round table.

Consul General Arlene T. Magno promotes the Philippines as the next regional hub for smart and sustainable manufacturing and services at the SBOT roundtable

In her remarks, Consul General Magno thanked Ms. Huberman for the opportunity to learn about the Board and its mandate and engage its members through the roundtable.  She described the ASEAN region as a dynamic powerhouse of cultural diversity and economic potency, with a combined population of over 650 million and a GDP of about USD 3.3 trillion, and a positive medium-term growth outlook.  She then went on to introduce the Consuls General of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and the Consul of Vietnam who took turns in presenting to the Board.

Consul General Magno highlighted the Philippines’ young, highly-educated, strongly customer-oriented, and particularly committed and loyal workforce; business and investment opportunities in real estate, tourism and leisure industries; abundant natural resources, which included renewable energy and green minerals; and, unrivalled access to key markets through its various bilateral and regional FTAs.  She added that the Philippines has liberalized its mining policies and instituted game-changing economic reforms to increase incentives for foreign investors, and promoted the Philippines as an investment destination of choice in Asia in the creatives, aerospace/automotive and IT/BPM industries.

The roundtable concluded with networking opportunities for the five ASEAN-member countries and SBOT business members. END