ScandAsia South East Asia - October 2015

OCT 2015

Malaysia Indonesia Philippines Vietnam Cambodia Laos

State Visit

a gift from above

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News Brief

Royal Danish State Visit to Indonesia Where: Jakarta + Indonesia When 21 - 25 October 2015 At the invitation of the Republic of Indonesia’s President, His Excellency Joko Widodo, H.M. Queen Margrethe II and the Prince Consort will visit Southeast-Asian nation for the very first time, along with a business delegation.

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in South East Asia.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and Singapore.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com

MDBC: Tour to United Plantations Berhad

Assistant Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com

Where: United Plantations, Malaysia When: 13 November 2015, 09:00 - 14:30

Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com

Tour to Member company United Plantations to learn how an integrated palm oil plantation operates in Malaysia. Event is for members of the Malaysian-Danish Business Council.

Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.

Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

MDBC: Breakfast Dialogue - Budget 2016 Where: The Danish residence, No. 7 Jalan Penggawa (off Jalan U-Thant) When: 29 October 2015, 07:30 - 09:30 Arranged by the Malaysian-Danish Business Council.

INBC: The Annual Norwegian Seafood Dinner 2015 Where: Grand Ballroom, Marriott Hotel, Jakarta When: 24 November 2015, 18:00 - 23:00 The biggest event of the year : The Annual Norwegian Seafood Dinner 2015. Organised by the Indonesia Norway Business Council.

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News Brief

Denmark’s new ambassador to Vietnam accredited

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enmark’s new Ambassador to Vietnam, Char lotte Laur sen, met President of Vietnam Trương Tấn Sang on 20 August, 2015 to present her credentials as Ambassador.

Char lotte Laur sen thereby officially replaces John Nielsen as Danish Ambassador. She has a firsthand experience of the relationship between Vietnam and Denmark, as she was 10 years ago posted at the Embassy in Hanoi as Deputy Head of Mission.

The President and the Ambassador both emphasised the good relationship between their countries.

“I will make my best endeavour to contribute to the strengthening of the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Denmark and Vietnam,” Denmar k’s new ambassador stated in her speech.

On the Embassy’s welcome page, the Ambassador writes: “My relationship with Vietnam star ted more than 10 years ago, when I was posted at the Embassy for the first time. I find it very fascinating to see the rapid and impressive socio-economic development Vietnam has been going through since then – a development that goes ver y well in hand with the dynamic of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Denmark,” writes Charlotte Laursen in her

HCMC Dane will donate your used toys and clothes

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retiring Dane, Flemming Undercover Johannesen, will as his first job after his retirement will be to collect clothes and toys to Fader Khuong, Bien Hoa to support the poor people in Baria, Can Tho, Dalat etc.

Flemming encour ages you all to open your old cupboards and drawers and pull out clothes and toys, which your family have not used for a while. For the convenience of everybody, he has made an arrangement with Jane & Thomas at La Habana, 6, Cao Ba Quat Street ( between Thai Van Lung/Thi Sach) who have been so

nice to accept to receive your bags with used toys and clothes.

“Please bring your bags to La Habana from Nov 23 to Dec 5 2015; - together can we do a difference for poor people in Vietnam,” says Flemming Johannesen.

Flemming adds that he will visit the villages, where they will receive the donations, with Fader Khuong and take pictures and write an article to ScandAsia showing all the happy faces, when your toys and clothes are handed over.

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welcome address on the Danish Embassy’s website.

“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971, Vietnam and Denmark have enjoyed strong friendship and cooperation.

In par ticular, we have had strong and successful development cooperation for over 20 years.Today, Vietnam remains a global priority country for the Danish government, and the main task for the Embassy in the years to come is to further strengthen our relations, not least our commercial ties.“ The Ambassador goes on to highlight the Comprehensive Par tnership Agreement between Vietnam and Denmark, which sets the platform for the shift from a partnership based almost exclusively on development cooperation, to one embracing all aspects, including political dialogue, commerce, and culture.

“It is the Embassy’s finest task to work to utilise this potential to its full and to assist Danes and Vietnamese.”

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Sweden in Kuala Lumpur celebrates Pippi Longstocking 70 years

News Brief

he Embassy of Sweden in Kuala Lumpur celebrated the 70 year birthday of Pippi Longstocking - one of the most famous Swedish children’s book characters - on 16th July at the book fair Bookfest@Malaysia 2015.

Bookfest is an annual grand book festival.

Ambassador Bengt G Carlsson gave a welcome remark at the event and together with Ms. Louise Bonbeck, Deputy Head of Mission welcomed the children to Pippi’s house Villa Villekulla. The embassy’s storyteller Ms. Linn Antberg read the first chapter in the first book about Pippi by author Astrid Lindgren. The children from Dignity for Children foundation performed a theatre play on Life and Time of Pippi Longstocking at the event. It was a fun occasion attended by 120 children, some of them dressed in Pippi costume!

Pippi is probably one of the most popular children’s book characters in the world, standing up for girls simply by being herself. Pippi is funny because she breaks with conventional ideas about how girls should behave – and also, perhaps, makes fun of adults’ gender roles in the process.

Pippi Longstocking is a girl rebel, and since 1945 she has helped liberate children all over the globe.

The Swedish embassy sent its appreciation to Dignity for Children Foundation for their collaboration and suppor t in organizing the children to the event and for hosting the theatre play. It thanked also Ikea Corporation/IPC Shopping mall for their kind contribution to the goodie bags - the Dala horse felt charm for the children who attended the event.

Following the success of this event, the Embassy of Sweden will organize another event in celebrating Pippi Longstocking 70th birthday in September in cooperation with Kinokuniya bookstore. The Pippi Longstocking celebrations are supported by The Swedish Institute, Saltkråkan AB and the Astrid Lindgren Company.

Swedish Blueair to help smog-suffering Malaysians

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ith the grey smog enveloping Malaysia dur ing September - October, Sweden’s Blueair has war ned Malaysians that the health danger of indoor air pollution is widely underestimated. According to the company, seeking safety indoors from the smog is no guarantee of protection from the health threatening particles caused by forest fires in Indonesia. Blueair has the remedy for this situation, offering its indoor air cleaning technology.

“Scientific research reveals indoor air can be up to 100 times more polluted than that outside, which is why Blueair’s high-performance air purifiers offer a lifeline to householders and businesses alike who want protection from the smoggy particles enveloping Malaysia,” said Jonas Holst, Head of Blueair Asia.

Tjhe classic Blueair 600 series will kill smoke, dust and other airborne contaminants, cleaning the air in a 700 sq. foot room every 12 minutes of toxic particles and other pollutants, Jonas Holst

says. He adds that while citizens can do little about the hazardous smog surrounding them outside, people can use Blueair’s air purifiers to create safer havens at home, offices and in public buildings such as schools or hospitals to protect themselves.

Blueair air cleaners regularly win top marks for their ‘extreme efficiency’ in cleaning indoor air, most recently in an independent test in the U.S.A. carried out by a leading airborne particle physicist for Fast Company magazine. Following exhaustive testing using state-of-the-art equipment, a Blueair air purifier with a Smokestop filter was found to be “the best at cleaning air as quickly as possible”.

In Malaysia Blueair air purifiers are sold by Visionary Solutions, which specializes in selling highly innovative, modern and superior home solutions.

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 5

News Brief

Radiometer Medical goes direct in Malaysia

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n 1 August 2015 the official opening of Radiometer Medical’s new office in Petaling Jaya took place.

The Danish Ambassador, Nicolai Ruge, was present to officiate the festive opening together with General Manager Rory Kenny, and sign a commemorative plaque. The Ambassador congratulated Ror y and his staff for going direct by establishing Radiometer Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., after having previously been present on the Malaysian market through a distributor.

Radiometer develops, manufactures and markets solutions for blood sampling, blood gas analysis, transcutaneous monitoring, immunoassay testing and related

IT management systems under the ABL, AQT, TCM, RADIANCE, AQURE, PICO, CLINITUBES and QUALICHECK brand names.

Founded in 1935 and headquar tered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Radiometer was a pioneer in blood gas testing, introducing the world’s first commercially available blood gas analyzer in 1954.

Today, Radiometer’s products and solutions are used in hospitals, clinics and laboratories in over 130 countries, to provide information on the most critical parameters in acute care testing.

Vietnam order to FLSmidth for largest cement plant in South East Asia

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he Danish global engineering company FLSmidth has announced receiving an order wor th approximately EUR 100m (DKK 750m) from the Vietnamese cement producer Xuan Than Group for the supply of a complete cement plant with a capacity of 12,000 tonnes per day. The plant will be located approximately 100 km South of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Once completed, the plant will be the largest cement plant in South East Asia with the most energy efficient equipment, state-ofthe-art emission control and leading process control systems.

“The Vietnamese cement market is expected to grow over the coming years and it is a wellknown market to FLSmidth as we

have been present in the country for many years – also the construction of the largest cement plant in South East Asia proves our strong position in the area,” President of the Cement Division Per Mejnert Kristensen comments.

The order will contr ibute beneficially to FLSmidth’s earnings until mid 2017.

FLSmidth & Co. A/S is a global engineering company based in Copenhagen, Denmark.With almost 15,000 employees worldwide, it provides global cement and mineral industries with factories, machinery, services and know-how.

WSP Finland awarded ‘Creative Company of the Year 2015’

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n June 2015 the Embassy of Finland in Hanoi awarded WSP Finland in recognition of the company’s creative and successful bridge design projects in different parts of Vietnam. The yearly award is given to a person or a company that has made a substantial creative contribution to the relationship between Finland and Vietnam.

For more than 20 years,WSP Finland has been involved in Vietnam in many different projects including bridges. The company has designed the Binh (completed in 2005) and Rao II (2012) Bridges in Hai Phong and the beautiful Tran Thi Ly Bridge in Da Nang (2013). At the moment WSP Finland is working on the Thu Thiem II Bridge at the very center of Ho Chi Minh City.

“WSP Finland has made a ver y valuable contribution to the relationship between Finland

and Vietnam over the years.Their creative Nordic vision and sensitive attitude towards the local context has produced extraordinary functional beauty”, said Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta.

“The way WSP Finland has worked with its Vietnamese partners provides an excellent example of the knowhow and co-operation that brings tangible benefits to both par ties”, Ambassador Lähdevirta added.

“It is a great honor for WSP Finland to receive this award. We are especially pleased that we are recognized for our achievements in Vietnam, which is a country where we have worked for many years and where we also have several interesting projects going on at the moment”, said Managing Director Kirsi Hautala from WSP Finland.

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News Brief

Jakarta gathering: 60 students getting ready to study in Sweden

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mbassy of Sweden in Jakarta hosted before the summer a pre-departure gathering with new students going to Sweden, Alumni Swedia and PPI Swedia. Alumni and students of Swedish universities were invited to an evening of meeting old and new friends at Istituto Italiano di Cultura Jakarta.

With generous support from the Swedish Institute, this annual gathering of alumni, current and new students of Swedish universities provides an opportunity for learning about, exchanging, and reminiscing experiences studying (and living) in Sweden.

Chargée d’affaires a.i. Lina Eidmark gave a presentation on how to feel at home in Sweden, such as enjoying life without “macet” (traffic jam) and spending lots of time in nature. Learning to call everyone without titles (except for the royal family) was mentioned. Professors can be addressed only by their first names.

A number of funny but useful tips were given, such as the favourite topic to talk about (the weather!), the Fika tradition and cinnamon buns, the punctuality spirit, the love for the environment, etc.

The evening went on with presentations from the chairmen of Indonesian alumni network “Alumni Swedia” Erlangga Arfan and student association “PPI Swedia” Benni Yusriza, followed by a mini quiz for new students and group discussions over dinner.

The discussions covered anything from academic to daily life, for example: where to get bargain books, used bicycles, halal food, etc.

Alumni and students were divided into four main groups: Gothenburg, Lund and Malmö, Uppsala,

and Stockholm, with those who reside in smaller cities sit together with the nearby big cities.

Almost 80 people attended this engaging yet fun-filled occasion, out of which 29 were new students. In total, over 60 students from all across Indonesia have been admitted to study in Sweden this year.

The biggest por tion of students is going to Stockholm (either KTH Royal Institute of Technology or Stockholm University). Other destinations include Uppsala, Lund, Malmö, Gothenburg, Växjö and Umeå. In order to have more insight on life in campus and in Sweden, alumni were also invited to share their experiences; hence a balanced number of 30 alumni participated in the evening, reported Ira Yulianti Purnomo.

Filipino celebration in Finalnd

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celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the friendly relations between Finland and the Philippines was held this summer in Music Hall in Vanja in Finland Welcoming guests, Philippine Ambassador to the Nordic region Bayani S. Mercado recalled the mutual fondness of the Filipino and Finnish people for each other, beginning a few years before formal ties were established, with the celebrated marriage in 1953 between the Finland winner of the Miss Universe competition, Miss Armi Kuusela and Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilario.

Mercado also noted strong economic links between the two countries, with the strong presence of telecoms giant Nokia in the Philippines, which had provided employment to many Filipinos. At present, interest by the Finnish business community is at an all- time high, with their continued exploration of commercial and investment opportunities in the booming country in Southeast Asia.

Mercado also lauded the role of the Philippine Honorar y Consulate General, led by Consul

General Jukka Nyröla and Honorar y Consul Teresita Ruutu, in facilitating business and assisting the 3,000 Filipinos living all over Finland.

Peter Stenlund, Finnish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, congratulating the Philippines on its celebration, also in June, of the 117th year of the independence of the Philippine Republic, offered a toast to deepening bilateral relations between the two sides. He then graciously received a book on the “Bajo de Masinloc” presented to him by the Philippine Ambassador.

Highlighting the event was the arrival of newly appointed Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini who took the time to mingle with the Filipinos, despite having assumed office only last week.

Soini recognized the positive contributions by the Filipinos in Finnish society and expressed his wish to further strengthen the ties between Finland and the Philippines.

The reception was preceded by a business seminar on Finnish SME investments in the Philippines held at the Finnvera auditorium, as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations.

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 7

News Brief

Finland Ambassador Lähdevirta awarded medal in Vietnam

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inister Trinh Dinh Dung has awarded the departing (11 August 2015 was his last day at the mission) Finnish Embassador in Vietnam, Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta, a Medal for the cause of the Construction Industry in presence of his wife and members of the Finnish Embassy in Vietnam.

Minister Trinh Dinh Dung thanked and highly appreciated the Finnish Government for their support in improving Vietnamese technical infrastructure system, especially in water supply, with many projects on clean water carried out in big cities, medium and small towns by Finnish Government aids. Minister Dung acknowledged Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta’s contribution in developing the long-lasting relationship between Vietnam and Finland, and hoped that Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta, with his capacity, knowledge and experience in Vietnam, would enhance Vietnam – Finland relationship in general and the Construction Industry in particular.

The Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta sincerely

thanked Minister Trinh Dinh Dung for his warm welcome, and confirmed his pride with their pioneer in helping Vietnam to manage water in big cities, medium and small towns. With experience in green building, clean technology,

water and wastewater management, Finland wants to further develop his relationship with Vietnam on the basis of mutual benefit.

Norway to improve Indonesian seafood industry

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usi Pudjiastuti, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia, paid in August a working visit to Norway in order to improve the quality of fisheries and fisheries cooperation between the two countries Indonesia.

The visit included a series of ativities in the two cities of Trondheim and Oslo, where the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries was accompanied by Ambassador to Norway,Yuwono A. Putranto; Director General of Aquaculture Slamet Soebjakto; and Chairman of the Task Force IUUF Mas Achmad Santosa.

In Trondheim the activities were preceded by bilateral meetings with Norwegian Fisheries Minister, Elisabeth Aspaker. The two Ministers par ties agreed to develop cooper ation Aquaculture, Sustainable Fisheries and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) / Crime Fisheries.

The par ties also agreed on measures to fur ther enhance fish trade between the two countries. Minister Aspaker said Indonesia needs to take advantage of tariff-free import facility in the form of zero percent for fishery products coming into Norway.

The dimension of crime in IUUF is very broad, including crimes involving human trafficking.

To that end, the meeting also agreed on the collaboration between the two countries in addressing this problem.

The meeting also discussed the proposed establishment of the Bilateral Consultative Forum in the field of fisheries, which is a follow-up result of the meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi with the Foreign Minister of Norway, Borge Brende in the first meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Indonesia and Norway in Oslo earlier in June.

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Aspaker stated that Norway is ready to establish cooperation with the Indonesian fisheries which she viewed as an important partner in the field of fisheries, both bilaterally and in terms of multilateral fora.

Minister Susi was also one of the speakers in the seminar ‘20 Years Anniversary Celebration The Code of Conduct and Aquaculture’, held at Aqua Nor, an international scale exhibition held in Norway since 1979.

Aqua Nor is the meeting place for industry players within fisheries and aquaculture, which has in recent years attracted about 18,000 to 20,000 visitors from around the world.

Besides Susi Minister, several ministers from other countries also participated as a speaker, such as the Norwegian Fisheries Minister, Elizabeth Aspaker and the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture of Brazil, Helder Barbalho.

In his presentation, Minister Susi insisted on Indonesia’s commitment to responsible fisheries management.

“We want a better marine conser vation, but at the same time seeking to improve the production of marine products,” he said.

Before ending the visit agenda in Trondheim, Minister Susi had the oppor tunity to hold meetings with companies within the field of aquaculture and shipping such as Kongsberg, Aquaoptima / Aqualine, EWOS, Pharmaq, North Atlantic Seafood Forum, Morenot and Ulstein.

In Oslo the Minister’s visit focused on the development of bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Norway in combating IUUF / fisheries crime held at the Ministry of Commerce, Industr y and Fisheries Norway. At another meeting high officials of the Directorate General of Taxation, Ministry of Finance, Baharkam Police and the Criminal Investigation Police also joined.

News Brief

Barakah Offshore Petroleum signs MOU with Norwegian subsea provider

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arakah Offshore Petroleum Berhad’s wholly-owned subsidiary, PBJV Group Sdn Bhd (PBJV), has in early August 2015 signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC) with a Norwegian subsea service provider, Ocean Installer Ltd. (OI) to exclusively work together in Malaysia to provide deepwater installation of subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) and related services.

Basing this collaboration on the MOC as platform, the key areas will be: sharing each party’s expertise, resources and develop business for the offshore oil and gas (“O&G”) market jointly in Malaysia; and identifying prospects for suitable oil and gas-related projects to be pursued and tendered jointly and on an exclusive basis.

The collaboration, states a Barakah Offshore Petroleum Berhad press release, is a good fit for both PBJV and OI to widen the range of services and market reach for the Malaysia’s O&G industry.

The parties focus to provide cost effective, fitfor-purpose solutions should bode well for the current market where clients are adapting to the

low oil price environment.

PBJV is a turnkey onshore and offshore O&G player with strong EPCIC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning) capability. Its offshore O&G business includes transportation and installation, pipeline pre-commissioning, commissioning, and de-commissioning; and offshore platform major maintenance, and hook-up and commissioning.

PBJV currently provides mainly shallow water (up to 200m water depth) installations of subsea infrastructures involving rigid pipelines and fixed platform structures.

OI is a subsea specialist, headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. The company provides a full range of subsea services and holds strong EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation) exper tise in the SURF (Subsea structures, Umbilicals, Risers, Flowlines) segment.

Established by experienced subsea professionals in 2011, OI focuses its attention in the deep water (200m to 3000m depth) segment.

In the main SURF market, OI’s work scope

includes the installation of subsea structures, flexibles, umbilicals, risers, rigid flowlines/pipeline laying, spools, survey and the full range of light and heavy construction work, decommissioning, diving, and Engineering, Design and Fabrication.

While the specialist is positioned in the Top 10 subsea markets globally, OI is broadening its capabilities beyond North Sea basin into new region including Asia Pacific.

Encik Nik Hamdan Daud, Deputy Executive Chairman of Barakah comments, “This collaboration will allow us to serve the full spectrum of subsea installation market for Malaysia’s O&G industr y and a step up for Barakah to be involved in deep water segment.

Together, we hope to provide good value for money solutions to our existing/potential clients.

We are optimistic that the co-operation will support Barakah’s ambition to move up the value chain.”

Norwegian opportunities in Philippines

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here is greater opportunity for collaboration and partnerships between Norway and the Philippines. There are new areas that are waiting to be discovered and tapped into’, said Deputy Head of Mission Kristian Netland during a European Free Trade Association (EFTA)-related event on 21 July 2015 in Makati City.

The event, Seminar on Fostering Participation of Philippine MSMEs in EFTA Markets, is a followup to the ongoing free trade negotiations between the Philippines and EFTA states composed of

Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. It sought to present potential export opportunities and bilateral economic activities with the opening of the free trade agreement. More than 100 participants from the government and the private sector attended the event spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry.

In his presentation, Mr Netland discussed the economic structure of Norway and its trade policies. He highlighted Norway’s increasing focus to the new and emerging markets in Asia and put emphasis on the opportunities of the already strong Norwegian – Philippine relations that is expanding to new areas of mutual interests.

‘Innovation and creativity are key to these opportunities’, said Mr Netland.

The second round of free trade negotiations between EFTA and the Philippines was held 29 June - 3 July 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Discussions on trade in goods and ser vices, investment and intellectual property rights took place. The third round of negotiations would convene in Manila in September 2015.

T h e E FTA i s a n inte r gove r nme nta l organization set up for the promotion of the free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four member states.

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 9

State Visit a gift from above The Danish State Visit to Indonesia brings opportunity for increased cooperation

By Joakim Persson

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mid comprehensive preparations for the State Visit to Indonesia by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of the Kingdom of Denmark and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort from 14 - 17 October 2015, Denmark’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Casper Klynge, took time out of his busy calendar to speak to ScandAsia about what we can expect from this event.

“It’s a very important year for Denmark and our partnership with Indonesia, the world’s 3rd largest democracy,” Ambassador Casper Klynge says.

“The State Visit in October by Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort is part of our clear ambitions to boost the bilateral relationship between Denmark and Indonesia,” he says.

“We are these days welcoming two additional posted diplomats from Denmark to the Embassy in Jakarta. This includes a new Head of Trade – the first ever at the Embassy and a concrete sign of the importance that Denmark is attaching to the world’s 4th largest country, Indonesia. The second colleague is a bit of a novelty, a new creation – it is a government-to-government (G2G) advisor in the field of energy.”

“With the addition of the G2G advisor, the Danish Embassy to Indonesia now has all instruments available in its diplomatic toolbox; political & development cooperation, commercial activities as well as a recently launched cultural programme. This broad range of instruments creates opportunities for

the embassy to harness the synergies arising in the intersection of these policy areas. In short it enables a small country like Denmark to become a better and more relevant partner to an emerging superpower like Indonesia,” says the ambassador.

In relation to the State Visit and the accompanying business delegation, the embassy is focusing on four specific focus areas; Urban & Cleantech Solutions, Agribusiness, Design & Lifestyle, and Maritime.

These sectors represent traditional Danish strongholds as well as being priority areas for Indonesia – or areas where the country faces specific challenges. According to the Ambassador, this lays the foundation for a winwin situation: “We believe it is important to focus on a few, carefully selected sectors where ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ fits together perfectly.”

“Obviously there is also a commercial dimension to the visit; we believe that Denmark has lots of valuable knowhow and technology that can contribute to Indonesia’s green transition,” the Ambassador says.

Raising awareness in Indonesia and at home “The State Visit is a gift from above in that it is a unique opportunity for us to raise awareness about Denmark and Danish solutions in a wide range of areas, from climate change issues to increasing food production and productivity.

These are all areas where we think the State Visit can be used to promote a partnership and enhance cooperation between our two countries.”

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“It is also a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of Indonesia in Denmark. I think Indonesia remains one of the best-kept secrets both in Denmark and in Europe. Strolling the streets of Copenhagen and asking about the size of the Indonesian population, most would not be able to guess the correct number. So there is a lot to do in explaining what Indonesia and its 250 million people are, as well as illustrating the vast commercial opportunities this country holds.”

The ambassador anticipates a lot of attention both before and during the State Visit, and is sensing a growing interest among Danish companies in joining the business delegation traveling together with H.R.H. Queen Margrethe II and H.R.H the Prince Consort and government representatives.

“It is our first ever State Visit to Indonesia, and of

course it will cover a wide range of our bilateral cooperation. I am hoping for a sizeable trade delegation as well as representatives of the Government. We are looking very much forward to this occasion here in Jakar ta,” says Casper Klynge.

Prominent Danish business organisations such as the Confederation of Danish Industry and the Danish Agriculture & Food Council have already announced their par ticipation in the delegation. But smaller and less known companies are also voicing their intention to partake. The combination of large, experienced corporations and small, innovative businesses is something that pleases the Danish Ambassador : “From a commercial perspective, I think an interesting part

of the State Visit is that we are also some of the SMEs will tag along; companies that despite their size provides world-class solutions to specific challenges.”

Getting on before train departs Speaking of the commercial opportunities, Casper Klynge is often confronted with the difficulties in operating in the Indonesian market and is not shying away from expressing his opinion: “Indonesia still has significant challenges in regards to corruption, red tape, protectionist legislature, etc. We do not want to paint a rosy picture and it is true that it can be a difficult market to penetrate. However, that is what the Embassy is here to help with; we can provide

advice and suggestions on how to avoid some of the classic traps and pitfalls. As a foreign company you also have to keep in mind that Indonesia is a huge market; 250 million people and an exploding middle class projected to reach 130 million people by 2030. These conditions should not go unnoticed. In addition, the Indonesian government must be praised for its increasing focus on fighting corruption and red tape and not least in facilitating trade and foreign investment.”

The message from Casper Klynge is clear : The moment is pivotal and companies need to get moving before it is too late: “Operating in Indonesia certainly requires a long-term strategy.

But we think it is time to board the train - it is leaving the station now! And if Scandinavian

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 11

‘Bike2Work’, has drawn a lot of attention in the media. It has, in the words of the Ambassador, not only been a fantastic Public Diplomacy tool, it has also opened government doors and supported commercial activities.

Royal past

companies lose sight of the opportunities, well then they will not be the ones that capitalise in 3-5-10 years. Instead market shares that are natural fits with our companies will have gone to others. So we are also trying to use the State Visit as an opportunity to illustrate the potential and perspectives of gaining access to the Indonesian market.”

Denmark’s ambassador also views this as a long-term effort.

“Following the State Visit, we will offer companies looking to enter the Indonesian market the opportunity of tailor-made activities.

We really see this as a longer process with fantastic opportunities that will open doors for Danish companies.”

Taking bilateral relations to the next level These efforts to ensure greater economic ties between the two countries are inter alia based on the Danish government’s ‘Growth Strategy

Indonesia’, aiming at doubling Danish export to Indonesia by 2016.

“The growth strategy has been our bible for a couple of years since it was adopted by the Government. One of the reasons why we are now welcoming new colleagues to the embassy is a concrete outcome of the growth strategy and the focus on emerging markets like the G20 country of Indonesia,” notes the Ambassador.

“The growth strategy has been a fantastic tool in order to focus on the opportunities that exist in an emerging market like Indonesia. We have already reached many of the targets, while other parts of it have been overtaken by other events.

In many ways the strategy has been instrumental in moving us to the next level.”

Creating attention in Indonesia around a small country like Denmark requires smart approaches, and the Danish Embassy has therefore successfully utilized some guerrilla marketing tactics. Biking around larger Indonesian cities in collaboration with the Norwegian embassy and the local NGO

12 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2015

On a personal level, the ambassador says he is pleasantly surprised about the level of attention the Indonesian government is placing on the State Visit.

Here , Ambassador Klynge makes an obser vation about the historic dimension: “Indonesia’s history with smaller kingdoms and sultanates has created a special fascination with royal families. This fascination is perhaps part of the reason why the Indonesians look very much forward to the visit from the Queen of Denmark.

Once you get to know the culture and the history of Indonesia you get a much better understanding of what it is that makes a royal visit from a small country so interesting and fascinating, also to Indonesians.”

“A royal visit really has traction and it is evident that it is being taken very seriously, even though the queue outside the Presidential Palace in Jakarta is getting quite long, with many foreign heads of state wanting to visit Indonesia in recognition of the country’s increasing importance.”

“In that sense we are grateful and humbled that we have been able to secure a Danish State Visit almost on the day when Indonesia’s President, His Excellency Joko Widodo, celebrates his one year anniversary since taking office.”

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 13

Danish business summer school in Kuala Lumpur

By Joakim Persson

D

enmark’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Nicolai Ruge, paid a visit to this year’s Summer School ‘Doing business in Malaysia’ held by B u s i n e s s A c a d e my A a r h u s (BAAA), in KL between 26 July to 7 August 2015 in collaboration with the University of Kuala Lumpur.

The Ambassador met with and welcomed the exchange students and teachers from Denmark and spoke to them about the importance of global internationalization, highlighting the emphasis on critical thinking in the Danish education system.

BAAA encourages its students to spend time abroad during their educational programme and in that regard a summer school can be a good way to experience a different culture and learn about a new academic field. These are intensive programmes where par ticipants study across disciplines and with both BAAA students and students from local partner universities.

This summer school is focused on the issues that international companies meet when they plan to do business in Malaysia. The subject content

14 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2015

is related to business and communication and includes Industry, finance and company structure in Malaysia.

“Two weeks is time enough to get a good basic understanding of a foreign market and a new (multi)culture like the Malaysian,” explains Mads Hedelund, Head of International Office, BAAA. “However, we also offer our students the option to stay in KL for a 4-month semester as an exchange student. This gives students a much deeper understanding of Malaysia,” he added.

The reason why BAAA has selected Malaysia is that it sees it as the perfect Asian destination for students.

“You get all of Asia in one English-speaking country. You don’t get that anywhere else. In addition to this, academic quality is high in Malaysia.”

Danish and Malaysian lecturer work together on the academic programme, making sure both Danish and Malaysian students are challenged and learn for their cross-cultural collaboration.

Benjamin Bracht, student of the PBA in International Business & Marketing “I wanted to tr y something different while I still had the chance, study-wise. Furthermore, I decided to go to Malaysia because it sounded like an awesome experience, and because I like exploring different cultures, and getting to know new and interesting people; both Danes and Malaysians.”

“If I were to go to Malaysia and do business, I would surely have to get used to the relaxed way of looking at timelines. And when talking about theory, I would go with the Culture Shock Model, because it would take me a heck of a long time getting used to this relaxed way of living. Hence, I would probably be stuck in the bottom for a long period of time. The best example I can give, was that we waited an entire hour on a bus on our way to a company visit, because some students didn’t show up on time. If this would be the case in the business world, I would have a hard time arranging meetings, setting up working hours for employees and so on.”

Prior to this summer course Benjamin had never desired to visit Malaysia.

“For me, it just isn’t the country I think of when wanting to go on a vacation. And one of the reasons I chose Malaysia was because I thought that this maybe would be the only opportunity for me to go there - seeing that it isn’t that big of a tourist destination for Danes.”

About the course as such he evaluated: “Personally I wasn’t that satisfied with the way of studying in Malaysia. I’m not a big fan of the teachers giving lectures for 3-6 hours in a row, it gets quite tiresome for me - and I know a lot of my fellow Danish students feel the same way. In Denmark we interact in the lessons and that is the way I prefer to get educated. However, I never got to ask the question to any of my fellow Malay students, if, on the other hand, they found our way of educating boring or too confusing.”

The course did not make him more curious about Malaysia and a future career in the region.

The thing that made me interested was the Malaysian students. They were all so incredibly nice to us, and helped out whenever we needed any, and arranged trips for us when we wanted

Malene Leth-Espensen, student of Financial Management and Services “If I get the chance to work in Malaysia in the future I will consider it. Malaysia is an interesting country with very friendly and kind people. The local students were very curious and interested in our lives in Denmark.

“They really made us feel comfortable and welcome in Malaysia. It was a ver y positive experience and I would love to come back in the future.”

For her this course was a great opportunity to experience a different culture and work together with both local students and BAA students who are studying different courses than herself.

“I think it is instructive to study with a variety of students possessing different competencies

due to different academic backgrounds.”

She also thought it was a good way to get knowledge about Malaysia as well as doing business in a foreign market and getting an understanding of some cultural issues there might be in a context like that.

“We had academic sessions in Islamic Finance, Islamic Banking, Islamic Capital Market, Wealth Management and Takaful. Furthermore, we had academic sessions in different cultural theories.

The visit to Maxis Head Office and Impact Hub made us aware of some of the challenges that might arise for a foreign company entering Malaysia. Our stay in KL did also contribute to our learning process; we got a lot of cultural

to go somewhere. And actually that goes for all the Malaysians I talked to. Also, I found it very funny to talk about the different perspectives on culture differences with the students. They found it awfully weird that we use a knife and fork when eating, when they instead used their hands - this I found to be awfully messy, but I tried it though,” Benjamin gave as example. Career-wise he believed he would not be able to cope with the hot weather.

“If I were to star t career there, it would definitely be because of the people, not because of the country in itself.”

inputs and saw the differences between our two countries,” Malene shared about ‘Doing business in Malaysia’ insights.

During the course she obser ved three dimensions from Geer t Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theor y (a framework for crosscultural communication), as good to have in mind when going to do business with Malaysia.

“The power distance in Malaysia is ver y high. This is a huge cultural difference from Denmark where the power distance is smaller.

With this in mind the visit to Maxis Head Office was interesting. Maxis had been through a huge development in a short time. They have been a traditional company, with a hierarchical structure, a big office to the boss and different benefits to employees. But now the environment in Maxis is similar to the environment we know from a majority of large Danish companies.”

“Besides a high power distance in Malaysia the individualism is low and the masculinity is high so if you are planning on doing business in Malaysia you have to be aware of that. Furthermore, we were told that religion and relations are very important in Malaysia so it can be a challenge but besides that Malaysia is welcoming businesses, the tax rate is low and people are very friendly and helpful.”

She would definitely recommend the course to others.

“You can read a lot about cultural differences and the issues that international companies meet when they plan to do business in Malaysia on their own, but I believe you get the best understanding and insight experience of a country and a culture like this. Two weeks are a bit shor t to fully understand the subject, but during my stay in Kuala Lumpur I got a lot of cultural shocks and inputs. It has been a great experience.”

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 15

Danish hearing aid producer sets up in Malaysia

By Joakim Persson distribution specialists, and administrative and managerial staff to support our mission.”

The growing global demand for hearing solutions directly relates to an increasing aging population the world over.

“Age-related hearing loss is by far the most common type of hearing loss. We are seeing growing global demand for hearing aids, including in Asia. About 360 million people, or five percent of the global population, have some type of hearing loss. With this increasing market population, our industry’s growth is also driven by more awareness of hearing health, and the introduction of innovative Smar t Hearing technologies that allow for personalization and control that we have never seen before.”

Smart hearing aids

G

N ReSound, a leader in innovative hear ing technologies, on 3 September inaugurated its newest manufacturing and distribution facility in Kulaijaya, Johor, Malaysia.

The ceremony was hosted by the Danish company’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Anders Hedegaard and joined by dignitaries including Danish Ambassador to Malaysia H.E. Mr. Nicolai Ruge; Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade and Industry, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed; Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Ahmad Maslan: in addition to a number of GN ReSound global executives.

ReSound develops consumer hearing aids that are distributed via a global network of independent audiologists, including throughout the SEA region. That includes some hospitals, if they include audiology clinics.

Malaysia winner “GN ReSound’s expansion into Malaysia represents the latest effor t in our ongoing commitment to meeting the growing global demand for innovative hearing solutions,” said Mr. Hedegaard. “This first-class facility will advance our mission and help us continue to revolutionize what is possible in terms of hearing accessibility.”

The opening of GN ReSound’s Johor facility is just one of many initiatives the company has underway to support the development of their Smart Hearing portfolio for users around the world.The company also maintains manufacturing and distribution facilities in Xiamen, China, the UK, Spain, and R&D and manufacturing facilities

in Denmark and the United States.

The major new Danish investment into Malaysia is a milestone where this SoutheastAsian emerging hub has managed to become the winner in competition with other alternatives all over the world that GN ReSound surveyed before settling for Johor.

“GN ReSound’s search for a site for a new manufacturing and distribution facility included a number of factors, including a favourable economic and political climate, a modern infrastructure that provides easy access to global markets, a well-educated and high performing workforce, and GN ReSound found all of these attributes in Johor, Malaysia after a thorough survey of more than a dozen locations around the globe.” GN ReSound told ScandAsia.

The 5,000 m2 facility expands GN ReSound’s global production capacity and will serve as a key component of our global supply chain infrastructure. With its proximity to Singapore’s import and export infrastructure it also serves as a new distribution hub for the region.

One hundred employees have already been hired at the facility, which will rely on vendor and support relationships with a number of area businesses. At full capacity, GN ReSound’s facility has the potential to create approximately 450 jobs during significant ramp-up expected during the rest of the year.

“GN ReSound draws on a diverse set of skills and backgrounds to bring our Smart Hearing technology to users around the world, including sound and electrical engineers, product designers, software developers, manufacturing and global

16 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2015

GN ReSound has launched the world’s first full family of Smart hearing aids, allowing wearers to personalize their hearing like never before.

“Smart hearing aids, such as the ReSound LiNX2, were developed for people with hearing loss looking to connect, interact, and engage with their world on equal footing as everyone else.

ReSound Smart Hearing combines the latest in sound quality with the ability to personalize audio settings and stream direct stereo sound from a smart phone, allowing wearers to utilize their hearing aids as high-quality stereo headphones to talk on the phone, make FaceTime calls and listen to music in high-quality stereo sound without the need of an additional remote control, accessory or pendant.”

Users of the ReSound LiNX2 can personalize their hearing experience directly through an App. They can also easily access hearing aid features from within the device itself, including volume, battery life, presets, and Live Listen, which uses the iPhone’s built-in microphone to deliver sound to the hearing aid.

“Yes, smart hearing aids can serve as highquality stereo headphones to talk on the phone, make FaceTime calls and listen to music in highquality stereo sound without the need of an additional remote control, accessory or pendant.”

Denmark’s strength and exper tise within this sector is impressive: While Denmark has a population of just 5.6 million people, Danish companies, such as GN ReSound, supply half the world’s hearing aids.

“Denmark’s leadership in hearing and audiological innovation goes back more than a century. Denmark is a leading destination for professionals, students, and researchers making advancements in sound and audio technology and being suppor ted by industry, educational institutions, and Danish government programs to promote the science.”

News Brief

Swedish producer RedOne inaugurates Vietnam music scholarship

R

edOne – the successful Swedish songwriter, musician and producer visited in August Vietnam to inaugurate together with Trinh Cong Son - a revered Vietnamese songwriter, poet and painter - a music a scholarship. The scholarship is set up

by Trinh Cong Son Foundation in collaboration with Soul Music & Performing Ar ts Academy in Ho Chi Minh City with the purpose top suppor t talented Vietnamese music students from disadvantaged families in attending music educational programs.

Trinh Cong Son has composed more than 600 songs, many of which are truly loved by Vietnamese of all ages in Vietnam and overseas.

His Japanese version has been sold in more than 2m albums over the years. His paintings are highly valued by art critics and well sought after by avid collectors.

RedOne has his own foundation - 2101 Foundation - which is likewise a non-profit organization committed to helping youth with big dreams and inspire and motivate young people to purse their passion in life through music, ar ts and education. He has produced several Grammy Award winning songs and worked with chart-topping artists such as Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, One Direction and many more.

Together, RedOne and Tring Cong Son also introduced music as a tool to fighting autism in children - a first in Vietnam. World wide, music has been tested and proven to be an effective tool to treat autism. And music therapy is shown to be an effective inter vention for emotional recognition deficits in autism. It leads to improvement in communication/language and socio-behavioral skills.

SOUL Music & Performing Ar ts Academy is committed to educating talented musicians and performing ar tists, assisting them to achieve their highest potential and in the process, becoming future leaders, role models in their respective fields. SMPAA’s mission is to bring a well-rounded music/performing arts education to every Vietnamese child to develop a more open-minded and connected Next Generation.

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 17

You can not substitute all the hours you ought to speak to your child.

In China there is nothing called ‘’quality time’’, it is just time.

The more the better!

Xinxin

continues to introduce Chinese norms to Denmark

C

hinese-born Xinxin Ren Gudbjörnsson has stirred up a debate among Danes about their approach to education.

It all star ted in 2013 and since then she has starred several TV-programmes advocating how Chinese norms could benefit Danish schoolkids.

Her second book “Find motivationen” (=Find the motivation) was published on 28 August 2015 about motivating people in general by using Chinese values. She is determined to continue giving Danes the advantages of Chinese lifestyle.

The Danes were first introduced to Xinxin when she appeared on a ‘’homework diet’’ television programme where the “demanding Chinese” was called ‘’Tiger Mum’’ because of the strict Chinese way that she demanding that the students did 2 hours of homework everyday and quit watching television, playing computer games and playing with friends. She believed a hard Chinese discipline could make the Danish students even better in school. Her message was to inspire Denmark with Chinese values and make Danish children work harder and raise their grades in school. Her diet eventually succeed.

“It is not the matter of talent, it is the matter of willpower,” Tiger Mum said.

She thinks parents has the responsibility to equip their children’s with skills through a more

strict upbringing. She feels that both teachers and parents lack commitment to make their children fulfill their skills in school.

“There is too many bad excuses not to bring up your children properly here in Denmark.

If an illiterate night shift factor y worker in China can bring up her children properly, then it is only a matter of will for a Dane to do it too,” she says.

She mentions a tendency among Danish parents wanting to be super-humans by being everything and doing everything. But instead they should be better to prioritize their children, especially regarding doing homework.

“You can not substitute all the hours you ought to speak to your child. In China there is nothing called ‘’quality time’’, it is just time. The more the better!” she says.

It is not only the Danish school system and the Danish parents who need some Chinese values according to Xinxin Gudbjörnsson. She believes Chinese values could benefit Danes in many other areas. She mentions how Danes are too good to praise each other for everything but forget to give criticize their children, which will later have some negative consequences for their personality later in life. ‘’Danish children are very insecure because they are not used to be evaluated that much.

Therefore they have no idea what they are good at and what they are not good at. When they later begin working and meets criticism

18 ScandAsia.South East Asia • October 2015

they totally lose their self-confidence. It can be a shock to some,” she says. With her new book her mission is to motivate Danes in a Chinese way.

“It has become very clear to me that many people in Denmark have not been given some basic knowledge and help regarding motivation in contrast to Chinese people. In Denmark they say ‘’the passion drives the work’’, but what if there is no passion? They also say ‘’put yourself together’’, but what if you don’t know how?” she asks.

By implement a Chinese way of thinking she believes she can motivate the Danish people.

“I believe anyone wanting to be motivated can be motivated. You can not force it. I know many Danes do not fancy the Chinese model, but I want to break with the prejudice because I think only a few know how it really works” she says.

Even if she has met a lot of criticism for being too tough, Xinxin guarantees her strict Chinese values are a great advantage to Denmark. She says it makes life less painful when children are prepared to meet and handle criticism.

It makes life easier when know how to work with motivation. Xinxin wants to bring the best out of the Danish people by continue giving them Chinese norms and values to apply in their daily lives.

Sources: www.viauc.dk www.kristeligtdagblad. dk & www.dr.dk www.jyllands-posten.dk

October 2015 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 19

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