Private investment and trade opportunities

The project, to be managed by an ASEAN-U.S. Steering Committee and implemented through cooperative agreements, comprises three components: (1) trade and investment promotion: (2) policy analysis/problem resolution; and (3) capital market development. The first and core component will form a network of Private Investment and Trade Opportunities (PITO) Centers. These centers, which will be established in each ASEAN country and in the United States, will respond to information requests from private enterprises or refer the requestors to the appropriate U.S. Government agency, private sector association, or ASEAN counterpart. Informational and promotional materials will be developed, both in the ASEAN region and the United States. As part of the promotional activities, Technonet-Asia will assist private entrepreneurs by providing technical advice, helping ASEAN entrepreneurs acquire U.S. commercial technologies, conducting technology seminars and workshops, establishing contacts between ASEAN industries and their U.S. counterparts, etc. Promotional efforts will initially emphasize the agribusiness/natural resource-based sector, and machinery and machine tools and packaging industries, including plastics and paper; additional sectors will be selected after a needs assessment. Sectoral activities will include arranging trade and investment mission, identifying specific firms that might be interested in joint ventures, and arranging programs to present ASEAN opportunities to U.S. firms. The ASEAN-U.S. Council Business Council and its affiliate, the Center for Technology Exchange, will implement this component. The second component will promote policy dialogue by developing a network of ASEAN and U.S. policy analysis institutions to conduct cooperative analytical studies on constraints facing ASEAN-U.S. business ventures. The studies, which are intended to provide a starting point for policy dialogue, will be published and distributed to trade associations, universities, and government agencies. The East-West Center will implement this component. Finally, the project will provide TA to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) in establishing an ASEAN Growth Fund to provide equity financing for ASEAN-U.S. ventures. The fund, which is projected at $75-100 million, will assist in the start-up of small and medium-sized enterprises. Funding of 50 joint ventures is expected.