State Counsellor attends opening plenary session of 27th World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi (12 September 2018) STATE Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the opening plenary session of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi yesterday. In her opening address, the State Counsellor emphasized the technological leaps the country has achieved in the past five years, the dramatic drop in the price of mobile phones for example, but also stressed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution should be human-centric.
“Our approach to the Fourth Industrial Revolution is based on our belief in the creativity, empathy and stewardship qualities of our people, especially the young,” she said. Myanmar enjoyed the advantage to leap-frog from line phone to 4G network, and Myanmar’s telecom sector has grown too fast that mobile phone penetration rose to 105 per cent today from about less than one per cent five years ago. Approach to the Fourth Industry Revolution should be based on innovation, sharing and leadership, she said, saying the approach is concerned not only with youths but also human beings. The State Counsellor also called for making more investments in human resources development as much as possible to achieve success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution for all human beings. She also stressed the need to bring about changes to teaching technological skills to the people regarding the industrial revolution. ASEAN member countries, especially the member countries with least development should face the challenges bravely and to overcome them when they approach the new technological skills, she said.
The State Counsellor also urged the ASEAN member countries to prepare for promoting their technological skills of their workers today though they relied on ordinary workers to attract foreign investment in the past. To overcome the challenges, a country should reform its education system to become practical for life and to adapt to the changing world, she said. An education system must be adapted to better prepare the youths for their innovation and critical thinking skills they will need in the future, said the State Counsellor. The State Counsellor also stressed the importance of innovation in the face of challenges today and the role of leadership which should be linked with innovation and sharing. While appreciating the Myanmar youths’ innovation skills, she also called for linking the innovation skills with practical skills when approaching the innovation, capability and market competition. She stressed the need to narrow the development gap among ASEAN member countries. The State Counsellor also expressed her hope that Myanmar would be provided security including financial security and stability as the country transitions to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She also expressed her hope that the forum would produce means and ways for improving the world economy and creating a better world to live in during the period of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The State Counsellor attended the opening and plenary of the 27th World Economic Forum on ASEAN together with Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Lee Hsien- Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore, Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia,Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,and Prajin Juntong, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice of Thailand, senior economic officials, Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum and business personnel from the ASEAN countries.
Following the opening ceremony, State Counsellor Daw Aung San SuuKyi attended the lunche on hosted by Professor Klaus Schwab together with heads of State of the ASEAN member countries. Afterwards, the State Counsellor received Japanese Foreign Minister Mr. Taro Kono at the Daewoo Hotel in Hanoi. At the meeting, they discussed promotion of cooperation between Japan and Myanmar, matters related to holding Japan- Mekong Summit to be held in Tokyo, Japan, in October, 2018, Japan’s constructive support to the Rakhine issue and continued cooperation between Japan and Myanmar in the UN and international arena. Also present at the meeting were Union Minister U Thaung Tun and U Kyaw Tin, Deputy Minister U Set Aung, Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Win and officials. In the afternoon, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, attended a Mekong forum together with leaders of the Mekong member countries Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,and Prajin Juntong, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice of Thailand, discussing a vision for a shared, prosperous future. The Mekong region, comprising five countries – Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar – is home to 240 million people and accounts for a combined GDP of US $800 billion.
In the evening, the State Counsellor attended a dinner hosted by the Vietnamese government together with the Heads of State of the ASEAN membercountries.