ASEAN News

India has further intensified its efforts towards modernizing the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) amid an all-time high level of bilateral trade valued at $128.38 billion for 2025–26. It was touched upon at the 23rd ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultation held in Manila where India had asked for a more balanced and business-friendly trade and investment framework with ASEAN. AITIGA …

These ties to ASEAN and Russia have now agreed on a new 10-year plan to push for further cooperation on trade and investment up to 2035. The 15th ASEAN Economic Ministers-Russia Consultation in Manila on 22nd September approved the ASEAN-Russia SPTI 2026-2035. The pact is an expanded multilateral cooperation plan for selected and developing economic sectors for the long-term. The …

As negotiations with ASEAN progress, Canada and ASEAN are working toward a free trade deal. Ministers at the 15th seminar of ASEAN Economic Ministers – Canada Consultation in Manila on September 22, said that the negotiations for substantive conclusion of the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement had reached an important stage and were on track for substantive conclusion in 2026. View …

On 22nd September, Secretary General of the ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn attended the 22nd ASEAN-EU Trade Commissioner Consultation in Manila to advance the discussions on ASEAN-EU trade, investment, digital economy and supply chain concrete actions and facilitate further strengthening of ties between ASEAN and EU. Trade Ties Reach a Significant Scale ASEAN’s preliminary data reveal that in 2025, total …

The equity market is split within ASEAN between these markets that benefit from technology investment and those that face cyclical risks. Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have fallen behind their peers, but they each have something in their domestic landscape that could have a positive impact on earnings. The issue is whether they can break through these barriers. Thailand: Tourism …

The Pinglu Canal, spanning a distance of 134.2 kilometres between the Guangxi city of Nanning and the Beibu Gulf, was opened to commercial traffic on 16th Sept 2026. The project cost 72.7 billion yuan and will enhance the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and provide an entry point for Southwest China. A Major Logistics Shortcut The canal could divert freight …

The new protocol to upgrade CAFTA, namely the “ASEAN-China Enhanced Free Trade Area“, digitalization, green concept and integrated supply chains will be more emphasized. Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are becoming markets of interest, with each having a distinct advantage in the region’s changing industrial landscape. Indonesia: EVs, Batteries and Green Data Centers The biggest advantage of Indonesia is her rich …

ASEAN adopted a visionary shared future of ASEAN Community Vision 2045: Our Shared Future, a new 20-year journey for ASEAN. The roadmap aims to aspire in the achievement of a “resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centred” ASEAN that is able to adapt to the change and challenge of the economy, technology, geopolitics and more. Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn has been …

The China-ASEAN Joint Investment Council (CAJIC) wants to facilitate and structure institutional investment into Southeast Asia. It brings sovereign investors together to benefit from investment opportunities in the ASEAN region in the area of long term investment and co-investment. The council, led by the China Investment Corporation (CIC) with 15 other investors, including Azerbaijan’s SOFAZ and Indonesia’s INA, is part …

Malaysia and Thailand are getting closer with their plans to deepen the long running energy partnership by implementing a new Production Sharing Contract and Gas Sales Agreement in Block A-18-01, Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area. The deals, inked in August with government authorizations in September, go beyond the current agreement’s expiration date of 2029. The agreement’s import is that MTJDA continues …