LAST month, the Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) was held at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre.

Being the only platform that brings together a significant number of Asean businesses, there is no doubt that the summit played an important part in positioning Selangor as the so-called ‘gateway to Asean’.

For sure, the SIBS is a bold initiative by the Selangor government, which is seeking international cooperation to further advance its export-dependent and highly industrialised economy.

However, Selangor has a long way to go in becoming an influential player in the Asean region. In this context, the SIBS can serve a greater purpose for Selangor to become an important regional actor in the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

There are four potential roles which the Selangor government can play at future summits.

Firstly, Selangor can transform its role from being an initiator to a facilitator for both intra and inter-Asean trade and investments through the Selangor International Expo.

With expected participation from various industries, the event has become a one-stop centre for increased business dealings between exhibitors and visitors. Industries that are important to Selangor (such as life sciences, transport equipment, machinery and equipment, food and beverage) can increase their participation in the expo, and then gradually venture into other potential industries in the near future.

Secondly, business-matching should be introduced as a sub-event in the expo in the near future. Such an arrangement provides for Selangor to become a connector among businesses within Asean and beyond.

A comprehensive database that compiles information about exhibitors and visitors can be set up as a first step. Such a database can be used for organising business-matching programmes for companies in the expo, and an app can even be created to assist visitors and exhibitors searching for potential partners.

Thirdly, the other focus area event, the Selangor-Asean Business Conference, has the potential to  place Selangor as a strategic source of information for the Asean business community. Since 2017, the conference has been attracting prominent figures from Asean countries, China and India to discuss current issues surrounding Asean’s business landscape, as well as possible solutions to potential problems.  

Finally, Selangor’s potential as an innovator is also evident in the Selangor Smart City and Digital Economy Convention. With the staging of this convention, it is foreseeable that the Malaysian state will become a pioneer in regional cooperation, especially in the construction of smart cities and their networks.

With the realisation of the SIBS, the path is clearly set for Selangor to unleash its potential in many ways.

No doubt, Selangor has made great strides by initiating the SIBS and daring to be ambitious in its efforts to become a regional smart state, a premier regional trading hub and the gateway to Asean.

More value-added benefits can be derived if it enhances its role as a facilitator, connector, informer and innovator for the cause of accelerating the AEC’s integration process. – October 3, 2018.

* Karl Lee Chee Leong is a PhD candidate at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University (Malaysia Campus). He was also a Visiting Scholar at the School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi University for Nationalities.

* S.K. Chia is a researcher for the Anbound Research Centre (Malaysia), a subsidiary of Anbound, a leading independent think tank based in Beijing. 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.