* Delegates at the 1st
Asian Electronics Forum pose for a group photograph in Hong Kong.
ASIAN ELECTRONICS FORUM 2004 -
JOINT
COMMUNIQUÉ
Following a three-day meeting of the Asian Electronics Forum (AEF), held for the first time in Hong Kong, delegates have jointly stated that the "electronics industry will be a dominant economic driving force of the world in the 21st Century".
Furthermore, they forecast that Asia, which already manufactures more than half of the world's total electronics products, is a key player in global terms and will also be a highly potential growth market as well.
"We see very strong and positive growth in the coming years," the AEF delegation agreed.
The Asian Electronics Forum is a gathering of the chairmen or CEOs of major electronics trade associations from around Asia. Participation, which is on a voluntary, non-membership basis, can cover a wide region with participants ranging from China to Vietnam and include Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Asean territories.
The AEF, which meets once a year in spring and complements the more global World Electronics Forum (WEF) which meets annually in autumn or winter, provides a platform to facilitate co-operation to benefit individual territories and Asia as a whole.
The principle objectives of the AEF include:
¡P To foster free trade
¡P To form closer economic ties by establishing channels of communications, information exchange and alerting each other of new economic or trade policies of the respective governments.
¡P To present seminars and forum on topics of interest to Asian electronics manufacturers and traders including prevailing and future market trends, environmental concerns and standards and regulations.
¡P To co-operate in sponsoring or organising trade fairs, conventions and missions to explore new opportunities or increase trade with each other
¡P To promote and strengthen networking and facilitate business among members of the trade associations in the region
¡P To enhance the status and increase the influence of or knowledge about the electronics industry to: governments; society and within the industry.
At the conclusion of the 2004 Asian Electronics Forum, delegates have voted that P.R. China will be the next year's host and the city will be decided at a later stage. China hosted the 8th World Electronics Forum in Beijing in 2002. For this year's 10th WEF meeting, Washington DC, USA will be the host territory in September.
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