US-ASEAN Business Council Hosts ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn During First Working Visit to the United States
(Washington, D.C.) On June 11, the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) hosted a luncheon in honor of Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn. The event also featured U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and was attended by U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN Yohannes Abraham and nine of the ASEAN Ambassadors to the U.S. or Chiefs of Mission.
In his speech to attendees, Secretary General Kao highlighted ASEAN’s successes as a driver of global growth and a signatory to 7 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He spoke of the organization’s ambitions to bolster global supply chain resilience and deliver on sustainable development, including through paperless trade.
The Secretary-General also proposed several new avenues of collaboration between ASEAN and the USABC. These included a public-private partnership in rising technologies, initiatives to develop ASEAN’s workforce such as internships with U.S. companies, the expansion of business matching between American and Southeast Asian entities using the ASEAN Access platform, and collaboration to develop best practices for a circular economy.
“We were thrilled to celebrate Secretary-General Kao on his first working visit to the United States,” said Ambassador Ted Osius (ret.), President & CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council. “Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest growing regions and will help fuel global growth for the next thirty years. The US-ASEAN Business Council is proud to support the bloc as it implements its vision for an integrated ASEAN Community. On behalf of our 180 member companies, we work to expand economic and people-to-people ties between the U.S. and ASEAN. We place great importance on engaging with the ASEAN Secretariat to achieve these goals.” he added.
“I’m honored to welcome ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn to the United States on his inaugural visit in this role,” said U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. “Our commitment underscores our nation’s dedication to deepening our ties with ASEAN and highlights the importance we place on this strategic partnership—which is crucial for addressing shared challenges, seizing opportunities for collaboration and driving mutual growth. I am committed to making sure that my colleagues in Congress and leadership spanning across administrations recognize the value of our relationship with ASEAN, and ASEAN nations, and we invest our resources accordingly.”
Secretary-General Kao travelled to the United States for a week-long working visit, his first since his appointment to the position in 2022. This luncheon was generously supported by Marriott International and Lockheed Martin.