On Friday 20th May, the US-ASEAN Business Council partnered with the National Center for APEC and the US Chamber of Commerce in organizing the US-APEC Business Coalition meeting with Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, to discuss Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, as well as bilateral and regional trade and investment. The meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand on the margins of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting. 

On Friday, May 13, US-ASEAN Business Council partnered with the National Center for APEC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to organize a Roundtable Discussion in honor of H.E. Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of Thailand, in Washington D.C. on the sidelines of the US-ASEAN Special Summit. We welcomed Prime Minister Prayut and his delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Supattanapong Punmeechaow, and key representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Board of Investment.

Today on May 18th – Taufik attended a Handover Ceremony of Medical Equipment Donation from the City of New York to State Intelligence Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BIN) in Bogor, West Java. As you might know, we (US-ABC Institute) have been doing this effort since last year – along with Yayasan BUMN (the foundation associated with the Indonesia Ministry of State-owned Enterprises, Freeport, AICC and the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response (GTF) to ship NYC-donated PPE which is supported by in-kind contributions from express freight carriers FedEx and UPS.

The US-ASEAN Business Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce co-hosted a meeting between the attending heads of state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and leading U.S. business representatives as part of the official U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit agenda.

On April 19, the Council was pleased to have hosted a welcome luncheon in honor of the new Ambassador of Vietnam to the United States, H.E. Nguyen Quoc Dzung, at the The Ritz-Carlton, Washington D.C.  A 30-year veteran of the Vietnamese Foreign Service, Amb. Dzung brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new posting, at this crucial juncture in the US-Vietnam bilateral and economic relationship. 

From March 7 to March 10, 2022, the US-ASEAN Business Council (the Council) led a delegation of 40 leading U.S. companies on the 2022 Vietnam Business Mission. The Council's delegation met with government officials and key stakeholders across several ministries and agencies to reinforce the Council's dedication to supporting Vietnam's COVID-19 economic recovery. During the Mission, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the implementation of Vietnam’s new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs); addressing key business challenges to improve the investment climate for American companies; and positioning the Council as a resource and partner to Vietnam in its public health response and economic recovery from COVID-19. 

From November 15-24, 32 companies participated in the hybrid mission to meet new government officials, support Malaysia’s efforts in a sustainable economic recovery, and continue the discussion on the government’s pandemic response