INDONESIAN MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN KUALA LUMPUR

HONOLULU (April 13, 2002) — Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti will speak at the Pacific Basin Economic Council’s (PBEC) 35th International General Meeting (IGM) on Tuesday, May 7, 2002.

Minister Dorodjatun will be among leading business executives, heads of government, and other governmental ministers from throughout Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas who will gather at the IGM in Kuala Lumpur to discuss international economic and trade issues. The conference — focusing on the theme of “Striving for Growth in a Challenging Environment” — will be held May 3-7.

The Honorable Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, and Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines, will deliver addresses at the conference.

Minister Dorodjatun will be speaking in the plenary session “Bridging the Divides,” which will focus on the political, social, and cultural divides between developing and developed economies as a result of globalization. He will be joined by Timothy Ong, Executive Chairman, Asia-Inc.; Dr. Victor Fung, Chairman, Prumerica Financial and Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Noordin Sopiee, Chairman and CEO, Institute of Strategic and International Studies. The session will be moderated by Lorraine Hahn, the host of TalkAsia on CNN.

Appointed by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri last year, Minister Dorodjatun oversees all aspects of economic management, including debt restructuring, banking system reform, as well as the promotion of trade, investment, and economic recovery. Prior to his appointment he served as the 14th Indonesian Ambassador to the United States for three years. Before his work in Washington he was the Dean of Economics at the University of Indonesia, where he also served as a professor. Minister Dorodjatun is well-known throughout the region as a member of the team of experts for both APEC and the Pacific Business Forum. He is the author of more than fifty books and articles and has undertaken more than forty economic research studies.

An ambitious conference agenda has been developed for the Kuala Lumpur IGM, tackling issues such as: new developments in trade and investment liberalization, as well as industry overviews including the biotechnology and financial markets. There will also be breakfast chats with global personalities – ranging from business leaders to media experts to artists – and private, off-the-record Ministerial Roundtables are planned.

PBEC’s International General Meeting is an opportunity for the region’s foremost corporate executives to gather with other international leaders to discuss, in a frank and intimate setting, the key issues in the regional economy, and to publicly issue policy recommendations and statements directed toward such organizations as the WTO and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

ABOUT PBEC:

• PBEC is an international association of senior business leaders representing approximately 1,000 major corporations in 20 economies around the Pacific, which account for more than US $4 trillion in global sales and employ more than 10 million people.
• PBEC is a forum through which business leaders create new business relationships, exchange views with government officials, and produce recommendations on key business issues.
• The unprecedented scope of PBEC’s membership constitutes a broad and balanced reservoir of international business knowledge, unmatched in credibility and expertise. PBEC is the independent voice of business in the Pacific.

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Contact:
Steve Olson
Pacific Basin Economic Council
900 Fort Street, Suite 1080
Honolulu, HI 96813 USA
Tel.: +1-808-521-9044/Fax: +1-808-521-8530
E-Mail: steve@pbec.org
Web: http://www.pbec.org