US-ASEAN Business Council Advances ASEAN Vision 2045 and the Philippines’ Chairship through its 2026 Secretariat Mission

(Jakarta, Indonesia) On February 10-11, the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) convened the 2026 ASEAN Secretariat Business Mission, bringing together ​ U.S. private-sector representatives and senior ASEAN stakeholders for policy-focused dialogues supporting the region’s deepening integration.

Under the theme “Strengthening the U.S.–ASEAN Partnership for Sustainable and Resilient Growth through Innovation and Collaboration,” the mission advanced the ASEAN Sectoral Strategic Plans 2026-2030 and the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. It also supported the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairship, themed “Navigating Our Future, Together.”

The delegation was co-led by Marc Mealy, USABC Executive Vice President of Research and Chief Policy Officer, and Claudia Chan, Chair of the ASEAN Committee and Senior Director for Public Policy at Coca-Cola ASEAN & South Pacific. The delegation engaged with high-level ASEAN stakeholders, including H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and H.E. San Lwin, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). The delegation held bilateral meetings with Directorates of the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to ASEAN, the ASEAN Foundation, and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN.

“As ASEAN moves from framework-building to implementation, sustained public-private collaboration will be essential to translating regional ambitions into tangible outcomes,” said Marc Mealy. “U.S. companies bring long-term investment, technical expertise, and practical experience that can support ASEAN Member States (AMS) as they operationalize digital economy commitments, advance sustainability objectives, and strengthen economic resilience across the region.”

The mission enabled candid dialogue on policy, regulation, and public-private collaboration, identifying opportunities to advance priority regional initiatives and reaffirming the ASEAN Secretariat’s key role in supporting U.S. engagement with AMS. ​

The mission also introduced the seventh edition of ASEAN Matters for America, America Matters for ASEAN, produced in partnership with the East-West Center and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. The report highlights the depth and impact of the U.S.–ASEAN relationship. ​

Member companies participating in this year’s mission included Coca-Cola, 3M, Abbott, Amazon Web Services, Citi, Mastercard, and SAP.