Indonesian business eyes investment in Laos
Indonesian business eyes investment in Laos
More Indonesian companies are interested in investment projects and cooperating with business partners in Laos but the strengthening of bilateral cooperation needs to be attended to.
A delegation of business operators from Indonesia ye sterday met with potential Lao business partners in Vientiane to express their interest in business coordination and investment projects in Vientiane and the provinces.
More than 100 businesspeople attended yesterday's meeting for business matching between Indonesia and Laos.
The meeting between the two sides was chaired by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Laos, Mr Irmawan Emir Wismandar, with the attendance of senior officials from the ministries of Planning and Investment and Industry and Commerce, and members of the business sector.
In his opening remarks Mr Wismandar said the large attendance on both sides was a strong commitment to building a business network and searching for available business opportunities to create stronger cooperation between Indonesia and Laos.
“Today, several presentations will be heard from both sides to explain the economic opportunities in Laos. I strongly believe that Laos possesses many opportunities just waiting to be explored.”
He said Savannakhet and Vientiane provinces were the two most interesting provinces to be explored in terms of business opportunities.
“The presence of many Indonesian companies today is because they are actively seeking opportunities for cooperation with Laos which will be beneficial for both,” said Mr Wismandar.
He said the Asean Economic Community is just around the corner and this should not be seen as a challenge but as a great opportunity for business cooperation.
“This is a kind of window opening to opportunities as well as being a people oriented organisation for the future,” he added, saying that the business forum would give a significant signal of business cooperation amongst Asean members.
President of the Lippo Group, Mr Theo L. Sambuaga, gave an interview to Vientiane Times saying that his company is particularly interested in healthcare, education, and real estate.
“During the day we had one-on-one meetings with local businesspeople and we are confident this is an opportunity to develop business cooperation in Laos,” he said.
He also noted that working with local partners will see more opportunities for investment projects for the healthcare sector because the Lao economy is growing rapidly and the population is also growing.
Lippo Group specialises in retail, real estate, education, health services, financial services and multimedia services in Indonesia.
Meanwhile the Director of Business Empowerment at the Investment Coordinating Board of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Pratito Soeharyo, said the onset of the AEC is coming up at the end of this year and it will be a good opportunity for the business sector.
“Laos also has the potential for business cooperation. For example, the country's natural resources will be good for Indonesian investment in the area of agricultural production,” he said.
“Currently it is not clear how many Indonesian companies are investing here but our workers are employed at mining companies in Laos,” he said, saying that the figure for the value of trade is not very high.
“To achieve greater bilateral business cooperation, there needs to be more promotion work so that more Indonesian businesspeople know about Laos and its opportunities,” he added.
