U.S. Firms Will Invest in Asia No Matter Who the U.S. President Is: Panellists

The Business Times

17 November 2016

HE surprise election of billionaire tycoon Donald Trump as the next US president and the possible impact of his new administration on South-east Asia took centre stage at a business forum here on Wednesday.

While some speakers sounded a cautionary tone, saying that it was still too early to predict how Mr Trump’s first term would pan out, others stressed that they expected American companies to continue investing in Asia for years to come.

They were speaking on the second and final day of the Outlook 2017 forum organised by The Business Times and Canon.

Giving his take on the future of the US with Mr Trump at the helm, Joseph Liow, dean of the Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that it was important to consider Mr Trump’s track record and character.

“We still don’t have a real sense of the man. On one hand, he’s a businessman, but how successful his record has been is up for debate. On the other hand, you are looking at someone who has demonstrated certain flaws in terms of his character.

“He’s shown that he’s impulsive and vengeful. The question is whether, with all his experience as a captain of industry, he will be able to isolate his emotions or allow them to get the better of him when he is striking a deal?”

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Last updated on 17/11/2016