Malaysia today signed the historic Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement with 14 other RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs). Senior International Trade and Industry (MITI) Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali described the signing as the highest point of the virtual 37th Asean Summit, led by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Pear Anderson has been keeping track of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Southeast Asian travel industry. This is the latest update as of November 15, 2020. Singapore and Hong Kong's Air Travel Bubble will open on 22 Nov for all types of travel and no quarantine. Another ASEAN summit, another ASEAN Travel Corridor proposal from Indonesia. Its materialisation, however, is highly unlikely in the short-term given the different levels of recovery across the region

Due to the recent announcement of the extension of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) throughout most of the country until 6 December, AMCHAM has decided to postpone our much-loved Thanksgiving Luncheon to accommodate the rules around larger groups.

The Thanksgiving Luncheon will now take place at Hilton Kuala Lumpur on 14 December, 12:00pm – 2:00pm.

We are hoping that come December we will all be able to safely celebrate together.

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to reach out to Serena at serena@amcham.com.my or Elaine at elaine@amcham.com.my

If you have not renewed your membership for 2021, please do so today.

We invite you to consider supporting a strong Chamber by selecting a membership tier that deepens your engagement with AMCHAM. Basic membership starts with a minimum investment of RM6,000* for year-long benefits, levels increase to up to Platinum! Contact us today at membership@amcham.com.my or click on the 'Read More' tab for more information

*New members are subject to a RM1000 joining fee.

ABAC is organising a webinar in collaboration with law firm, Christopher & Lee Ong on 24 November 2020. This webinar will provide updates on the latest news in regulatory requirements, compliance enforcement, and strategies to develop effective anti-bribery and compliance programs to safeguard your organisation whilst addressing ethics, compliance, risk and corruption.

Based on a new Microsoft and IDC research, “Culture of Innovation: Foundation for business resilience and economic recovery in Asia Pacific, 77% of business decision-makers in Malaysia say that innovation is now a ‘must’ for them to respond quickly to market challenges and opportunities. Additionally, while significantly more organisations in Malaysia found innovation to be hard before COVID-19, they have since changed perceptions, with significantly less Malaysian organisations having this sentiment now.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement may prove to be the tonic that Asia needs to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic slump, said HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd (HSBC Malaysia) today. Chief executive officer Stuart Milne said although international trade continued to face uncertainty, the signing of the RCEP underscored the belief in market openness and that it will lead to greater economic growth.

The COVID-19 crisis has reminded business leaders that a more capable workforce creates more resilient companies. Even before the pandemic struck, organizations faced a dizzying pace of change and the ever-present risk that today’s best-performing companies could be tomorrow’s vanquished ones. Against this backdrop, the virus and its shocks have shown how the capabilities and mindsets of an organization’s workforce provide a foundation for resilience and successful adaptation.