BIZ BUZZ: Global brainstorming club coming
For the first time in 10 years, the Trilateral Commission —an influential (and exclusive) nongovernment forum that invites only top leaders from North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific as members— is holding its regional meeting here in the Philippines.
Geopolitics is a favorite topic of this international think tank, which is coming to town at a very interesting time.
By the time the regional meeting happens here on Nov. 22 to Nov. 23, the United States would have already picked a new president, whose policy framework Asia-Pacific leaders would like to decipher.
Whether it’s a Trump 2.0 or a Harris regime, the task at hand is to identify and prepare for the headwinds and tailwinds.
We would also expect the Trilateral Commission, which commits itself to the “rule of law, open economies and societies and democratic principles,” to thoroughly discuss China’s maritime posturing. That’s apart from the turmoil in the Middle East and Europe.
The Trilateral Commission’s principal member from the Philippines is former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, who’s likewise part of the executive committee and is thus the main host of the meeting.
He has long been a part of the brainstorming group, which more recently initiated the likes of retired banker and now Ayala Corp. CEO Cezar Consing and Amina Rasul-Bernardo, president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy.
“It will be touched,” De Ocampo told Biz Buzz, when asked whether the West Philippine Sea tension is part of the agenda.
Overall, he said this upcoming forum in Manila “is one of the more interesting meetings because of everything that’s taking place.”
Top business leaders from the region, including the top honchos of Japanese beverage giant Suntory and Malaysian banking giant CIMB, are expected to attend.
Including the resource persons, it will be a relatively small forum of 50 people, each of whom is a business or civil society leader with a big sphere of influence.
