US-ASEAN Business Council Champions Stronger Economic Partnership for ASEAN's Future at 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) On September 24 - 26, 2025, the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) led a delegation of U.S. companies to the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting as part of the effort to reaffirm its commitment to advancing a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready ASEAN-U.S. economic partnership. The delegation was led by Marc Mealy, Executive Vice President & Chief Policy Officer of USABC, accompanied by the USABC’s ASEAN Committee leaders from Coca-Cola and Visa.
During the AEM-USTR Consultation Session, the Council and its members presented a recommendations paper titled ”Enhancing ASEAN-U.S. Economic Partnership for Resilient, Future-proof, and Digitally Enabled Growth” to ASEAN economic ministers. Recommendations to strengthen collaboration in four priority areas: trade and supply chain resiliency, digital economy transformation, circular and sustainable economy, and inclusive workforce development.
“We underscore the role of the U.S. private sector as a trusted partner to ASEAN, with shared priorities in resilient trade and supply chains, digital transformation, sustainable growth, and workforce development. We encourage ASEAN Member States to advance regional structural reforms, particularly by unlocking the economic potential of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) toward its substantial conclusion and ensuring the effective implementation of the ATIGA Upgrade,” said Marc Mealy, Executive Vice President of Research & Chief Policy Officer of USABC, during the AEM-USTR Consultation session.
USABC members reaffirmed their commitment to working with ASEAN governments to advance resilient, forward-looking growth. The ASEAN Committee leadership echoed ASEAN’s vision for sustainable development and pledged to strengthen communities, empower businesses, and support governments in driving long-term prosperity across the region.
On the sidelines of the AEM Meeting, USABC held bilateral meetings with senior officials from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, the Philippines, the U.S. Trade Representative, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Malaysia. These discussions reinforced opportunities for stronger public-private partnerships in driving ASEAN’s priorities forward in navigating the current global trade and economic dynamics.
Looking ahead, USABC remains committed to supporting ASEAN Member States in strengthening resilient trade and supply chain cooperation. USABC will continue engaging in constructive dialogues on issues of shared interest to member companies, while promoting deeper U.S.-ASEAN economic relations.
Companies participating in the mission included Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific, Visa, Amazon, Meta, Citi, Intel, Apple, and The Asia Group.
Read the Joint Media Statement of the AEM-USTR Consultation: https://asean.org/joint-media-statement-of-the-aem-ustr-consultation-4/