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MANILA, Oct 11 (AFP): Annual Southeast Asian mineral exports could triple to 15 billion dollars over the next three to five years thanks to growing demand from China, India and Japan, industry leaders said today.
"The potential to hit 15 billion annually for the whole ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region is there, given the right investments, partners and government support," said Philip Romualdez, president of the ASEAN Federation of Mining Associations (AFMA).
Romualdez said the ASEAN region, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, had some of the world's largest mineral deposits with "trillions of dollars" in exploitable resources.
The region is rich in gold, silver and platinum as well as base metals and precious gems like diamonds and rubies and even uranium in the case of Myanmar and Vietnam, said Romualdez who is also president of the Philippine Chamber of Mines.
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