Asian Trade Promotion Forum(ATPF) Meeting held online

October 2021

On October 26, the CEO Meeting of the Asian Trade Promotion Forum (ATPF) was held online. This is the second time the meeting was held online following 2020. It was joined by 77 people from 21 countries and regions out of 23 members, who shared information on efforts for supporting companies and successful practices by member trade promotion organizations (TPOs) under the corona crisis, and engaged in discussions on joint projects. Proceedings for the meeting were led by JETRO Chairman and CEO SASAKI Nobuhiko who served as co-chair and Director-General Didi Sumedi of the Directorate General of National Export Development (DGNED), Indonesia, the organizer of the meeting.

The theme of the entire meeting was "To Grow and Develop in the New Economic Era " At the beginning, while declaring that "amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we are required to respond to new preconditions in various aspects," Mr. Sumedi explained that the meeting theme was set with the determination to "aim at growing and developing at all times." He stressed the importance for all ATPF members to help business in a positive manner even in an uncertain era.

DGNED Director-General Didi Sumedi

JETRO Chairman and CEO Sasaki

Focus on responding to prolonged corona crisis

During the meeting, participant TPOs presented and discussed about their endeavors to respond to the new era, such as strategies to support SMEs through digitalization.

In Session 1 of the plenary meeting, under the theme of "Potential Industrial Sectors & Strategic Efforts under the prolonged pandemic," three TPOs, including JETRO and DGNED, reported on industries experiencing remarkable growth amid the corona crisis and new support programs utilizing digital technology. Chairman Sasaki introduced accomplishments of JETRO’s new support schemes using digital technology, such as Japan Street, as well as issues JETRO has faced in its schemes and how it has responded to them. He shared the experiences of his organization over the year with the other member TPOs.

Sharing endeavors to help companies embark on e-commerce

The following Session 2 was held under the theme of "Supporting SMEs in Optimizing E-commerce technology " Recognizing that responding to e-commerce market, which is gradually playing a major role in business, is a current issue for SMEs, five organizations announced the endeavors and support that each is promoting. They reported on specific activities designed to allow SMEs to accelerate business through e-commerce, such as a function for customizing webpages on their online platform, providing access log data and enabling automated translation.

Report by ATPF Secretariat

Online meeting

Participant TPOs confirm implementation of joint projects

In addition, the ATPF Secretariat (JETRO) reported on the outcomes of the ATPF Working-Level Meeting held in July. At the plenary session, participant TPOs approved the continued implementation of joint projects through digital technology that had been agreed upon at the Working-Level Meeting. Furthermore, the ATPF Exhibition Industry Committee (AEIC, Secretariat: JETRO) reported on a plan for exhibiting at the International Food and Hospitality Fair (AAHAR) in India as a joint exhibition project in March 2023. In line with this, the host organization, the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) gave an explanation on AAHAR.

(About ATPF)
The ATPF was established in 1987 at the proposal of JETRO. The objective of the forum is for Asian TPOs to effectively implement activities in each member country and region through the free exchange of ideas. There are currently 23 member TPOs, and a CEO Meeting and Working Level Meeting are each held once a year.

The outline

Theme To Grow and Develop in the New Economic Era
Date Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Venue Online
Organizer Directorate General of National Export Development (DGNED), Indonesia
Participant organizations Australian Trade Commission (AUSTRADE)
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)
Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), Philippines
Department of International Trade Promotion of Thailand (DITP), Thailand
Department of Trade Promotion, Laos (DTP)
Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh
Enterprise Singapore (ESG)
Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI)
Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)
Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM)
India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)
Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI)
Myanmar Trade Promotion Organization (MYANTRADE)
Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB)
Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP)
Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC)
Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE)
* Listed in alphabetical order of abbreviations