Nov. 6 to 12 marks a historic business milestone in the islands’ current economic history as world leaders from 21 nations that comprise the Asia Pacific region converge in Honolulu as part of the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
Nov. 6 to 12 marks a historic business milestone in the islands’ current economic history as world leaders from 21 nations that comprise the Asia Pacific region converge in Honolulu as part of the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
Hosted by President Barack Obama, the countries from this region around the Pacific rim collectively comprise a new, rising and growing middle class, as well as old and new entrepreneurs, who contribute to the regions’ multilateral trade and cross-cultural experiences.
For the most part, Kaua‘i residents, like the rest of the world, will learn about the summit through media reports that will include more than 2,000 journalists among the anticipated 20,000-plus attendees, including delegates at government ministerial levels.
Coinciding with the Leaders Summit, will be a series of meetings in which business leaders, such as presidents and CEOs of some of the world’s leading Fortune 500 companies, will have their own business summit. Many of the anticipated business leaders will participate in meetings, seminars and receptions, including the Asia Pacific Business Symposium co-sponsored by the East West Center and the Pacific Basin Economic Council.
Session topics, as part of the APEC CEO Summit, include: current trends impacting economics in the Asia-Pacific, regional energy challenges, investment interests of China and other APEC economies, innovations in sustainable construction, environmentally sustainable business practices, and food security an safety (www.apbsymposium.com).
“What’s Next for Trade?: A New Agenda for the Asia–Pacific Region and Beyond” is the keynote topic to be delivered by U.S. Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Thomas Donahue at a luncheon sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai‘i and event sponsor Access Information Management.
Donahue, while attending this annual Summit, will also address members of Hawai‘i’s business and community on Nov. 9 (www.cochawaii.org).
For Kaua‘i business, TREX Enterprises, which was Kaua‘i’s Business Innovation Award winner, will have the opportunity to showcase and market its products during the week at the Hawai‘i Convention Center alongside other county winners, as well as the statewide winner. The Showcase provides a marketing platform to showcase what Hawai‘i’s workforce is indeed capable of in providing highly skilled workers for an important and much-needed optical and spatial technology that is used in highly specialized equipment throughout the world.
During the past year, the Hawai‘i Host Committee and Kaua‘i representatives have met with our statewide counterparts to not only collaborate with the APEC secretariat but, also, to work as inclusively as possible to involve and invite members of the business community to participate and conduct business with the many agencies and organizations connected in the coordination of this annual summit organized by the U.S. Department of State.
During the summer, the University of Hawai‘i hosted seminars and workshops that invited attendees to meet with students to learn about how we can all work together in helping to achieve innovations in technology-transfer as well as building upon cross-cultural relations and fostering a better understanding of our global neighbors.
To this end, at the high school level, curricula introducing students to countries in the Asia Pacific Basin was further strengthened by incorporating additional content about nations that are part of this hemisphere. Thanks to digital technologies and other media, students were able to interface with their new-found friends via Skype and or social media such as Facebook and MySpace.
While the “takeaways” may not be immediate, the long-term view is that relationships established as a result of this Summit will serve as a platform for Hawai‘i to demonstrate its capacity to host world-class events, such as this Summit, that in the longterm will provide the state another important vehicle to grow, diversify and leverage our tourism-based economy.
At the same time, it’s a perfect “storm” to showcase our state’s commitment, innovation and goals in the five foci of this Summit, which are clean energy, life and health sciences, and earth sky and ocean sciences.
Led by the Hawai‘i Host Committee — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and director George Costa of the Office of Economic Development and partner members, including Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, Kaua‘i Economic Development Board, Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, Kaua‘i Community College and many small businesses, such as the Waimea Plantation Cottage, Kikiaola Land Co., and Waimea town entrepreneurs (Kaua‘i Granola, Aunty Lilikoi, Ishihara Market to name a few), visitor industry delegations from the People’s Republic of China (Beijing and Shanghai), the Philippines (courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines) and, sister-city relationships with Japan, new and existing relationships were established and strengthened during the past six months.
This included the outpouring of aloha for the disaster victims in Japan’s earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster in which Mayor Carvalho hosted a Japanese delegation on Kaua‘i and followed up with a five-day visit to Japan to present approximately $30,000 in cash donations raised by Kaua‘i residents in order to support the recovery efforts of the victims of the disasters.
Kaua‘i residents remembered their own personal experiences of not one but two hurricanes and subsequent “economic storms” over the next two decades. Aloha was very much alive during these crises and storms.
The Hawai‘i Host Committee intends to demonstrate — not only during the APEC week but, also, long after — something which leaders and delegates will “take away” with them to their home countries — aloha — and share their experiences while in the islands. Our test is in less than four weeks — is Hawai‘i ready for the “stage”?
On Nov. 13, I’ll personally find out for myself at one of the final events, which will be a state dinner in honor of President Aquino, as I join 1000 attendees and, mostly, Filipinos who will connect with a new leader in one of Asia’s most challenged economies.
Can Hawai‘i contribute to the Philippines and Asia with our knowledge-based industries in clean energy, life and health sciences, earth sky and ocean sciences? It’s already taking place and Kaua‘i is indeed helping to contribute and develop the road map for a 21st Asia-Pacific century.
• Randall Francisco is president of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce. Visit www.kauaichamber.org for more info.
