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Small and medium enterprises are
still challenged by the sluggish world economic recovery and the
increasing rate of globalisation. These are now being
compounded by the recent developments in the fight against
terrorism that have led to higher oil prices and more economic
uncertainties.
The remark came from the Director
of Trade and Entrepreneurial Development Division at the
Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources at the 12th ASEAN SME
Agencies Working Group Meeting in Berakas. Awang Haji Abdul
Rahman, who is chairing the three-day meeting said ASEAN SME
Agencies, as facilitators of SME development, should find more
innovative ways of helping the SMEs survive these trying times
and convert those challenges into opportunities for growth and
thus strengthen the competitive positions of ASEAN SMEs under
the current business environments. |
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The
meeting will discuss the progress of the proposed policy
blueprint for ASEAN SME development decade 2002-2012 and the
Hanoi Plan of Action, which consists of programmes and
activities for the SME development. The meeting will also
discuss issues under the cooperation with dialogue partners of
ASEAN, which include Japan, Australia Development Cooperation
Program, India and ASEAN+3. The meeting is being attended by
delegates from ASEAN member countries and the representative
from the ASEAN Secretariat.
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