East Asia region with its cultural diversity, abundant resources and vast pool of skilled manpower is poised at the crossroads of quantum growth and should be a most preferred and attractive destination for Indian investment, speakers at a seminar said on Wednesday.

The eastern neighbours of India comprise a mixed bag and not all of them are as affluent as Singapore, as developed as Malaysia or as promising as Vietnam, speakers at a seminar on 'Look East : Business Opportunities for Indian Industries' organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industries in collaboration with Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kolkata said.

Countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand were recieving huge development funds from multilateral agencies, and Indian companies apart from focussing on West should also concentrate to tap opportunities in the East, Asshocham Chairman R K Somany said.

"We should remember that countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia are located at the lowest rung in the global status map drawn in terms of per capita income. Trade with them with a view to providing essential support system to them should be considered an imperative," Somany said.