09 September 2016 – Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, in her capacity as Co-Chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India, presented the annual OECD publication to a packed audience at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Vientiane, Laos today.

The OECD Economic Outlook is an annual publication on Asia’s regional economic growth, development and regional integration process. It focuses on the economic conditions of the ASEAN member countries as well as the relevant economic issues in China and India in order to fully reflect economic developments in the region.

“Steady economic growth is expected to continue in the region in 2017,” according to Ambassador Lazaro. “Among the ASEAN-5 countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam – it is the Philippines and Viet Nam which have the best growth forecast for 2017. The economies of these two countries are expected to grow by 6.1%,” the Ambassador added.

This is the second year in a row that the Philippines had the best growth forecast among the ASEAN-5 countries according to the OECD Economic Outlook.

The Philippines is the Co-Chair of the Economic Outlook until 2018. It will therefore coincide with the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017.END