Local Asian business owners excited for ASEAN Summit at Sunnylands
Some local Asian business owners are excited for next weeks economic summit where President Obama and leaders of Southeast Asian Countries will be meeting at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage.
Fil-Am Oriental Market is a family owned business that has sold Asian goods in the valley for more than 20 years. The business owners claim the Asian population here is on the rise and they say this historic meeting of world leaders benefits the United States and Asian Americans living in the Coachella Valley.
“There is so much business going on between our country and the Asian countries and it’s only fair that we have exposure for these types of goods and services that Asian countries bring into our country,” said Myra Mendoza owner Fil-am Oriental Market.
President Barack Obama will host at least 10 leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or or ASEAN at Sunnylands starting this coming Monday. These leaders will discuss the economy, entrepreneurship, trade and investment, along with many other topics.
“They need to learn how to deal with our culture and everyone will be friendly we are certainly friendly people and we are happy people,” said Nina Cabrera, an employee at the market.
Not everyone is excited about the summit. On Monday the Cambodia-America Alliance says it has plans for a peaceful demonstration against Prime Minister Hun Sen. There will also be protests from groups opposing President Obama’s deportation policies, and the poor human rights records in Vietnam.
