Tokyo (Antara Babel) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended the opening of the 23rd International Conference on The Future of Asia at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel, Japan, on Monday.
"We welcome and thank all leaders of Asian countries who attend the forum to discuss the future of Asia amid the current trend of anti-globalization," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida remarked during a keynote speech at the forum here on Monday.
Organized by Nikkei Inc., the two-day event is being held at a time when protectionist and exclusionary policies are clouding the global economic outlook. The theme of the conference reflects this: "Globalism at a crossroads - Asia's next move."
Kishida emphasized that Japan accords priority to cooperation with Asian countries, as Asia had become an important region.
"Asia is becoming an important region because it continues to grow, and we want to be part of that growth," he noted.
After delivering a keynote speech for about six minutes, Foreign Minister Kishida welcomed Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc who was the first speaker at the conference.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla will deliver his speech at 5:15 p.m. local time after an interview with Japanese media group Nikkei, Asian Review Magazine and Nikkei CNBC.
At the same venue, the vice president is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to hold audience with Sumitomo-Mitsui Banking Cooperation, and to attend a dinner reception held by the Nikkei.
In addition to the vice president and prime minister of Vietnam, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who are attending the meeting are Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Prime Minister of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith.
Secretary-General of the ASEAN Le Luong Minh, former prime minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong, and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir bin Mohammad are also attending the conference.
During the forum, the vice president was also accompanied by Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Arifin Tasrif, Special Envoy of the president of Investment for Japan Rahmat Gobel, former Indonesian ambassador to Japan and former minister of trade Muhammad Lutfi, Head of the Vice Presidential Secretariat Mohammad Oemar, and Chairman of the Vice Presidential Team Sofyan Wanandi.
