LONDON: Khalil Hajj Tawfiq, chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce, announced on Saturday that a Jordanian Economic Forum with several member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will take place in March 2024, Jordan News Agency reported.

The forum aims to improve trade relations and boost investment opportunities between the two sides. It will be hosted in cooperation with ASEAN member states that have embassies in Jordan, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Brunei.

According to the ACC, trade between Jordan and ASEAN increased by 42 percent in 2022 over 2021.

Jordan’s trade with ASEAN member states totaled 1.3 billion Jordanian dinars ($1.7 billion) in the last financial year.

Exports to ASEAN states included chemical industry products, metal products and textile materials, while imports included pearls, precious stones, textile materials, appliances, electrical and electronic sets, transportation equipment, and food industry products.

The forum follows a meeting between the ACC board of directors and Malaysian Ambassador to Jordan Mohammad Nasri Bin Abdulrahman.

Tawfiq said that Jordan’s commercial and service sectors are eager to deepen ties with Malaysia and benefit from significant economic and investment opportunities.