On October 4, the Government of Vietnam organized a conference in Hanoi to review the last 30 years of FDI in Vietnam and highlight new strategies and policies looking forward. During this conference, the US-ASEAN Business Council was honored and awarded with a Certificate of Merit by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for its contributions to FDI in Vietnam and the country’s overall economic development and international integration. The Council was represented by Mr. Vu Tu Thanh, Deputy Regional Managing Director & Vietnam Senior Representative, and Ms. Bui Kim Thuy, Vietnam Country Representative.

On September 19, the Council, BSA | The Software Alliance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce co-hosted a dinner dialogue and a cyber security briefing, bringing together leaders of the American business community and ASEAN Ministers and senior officials responsible for cybersecurity, participating in the Singapore International Cyber Week 2018.

The US-ASEAN Business Council concluded its business mission to the 50th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Meeting in Singapore, with 17 U.S. companies engaging key economic officials on regional and bilateral trade and investment issues. This year marks the Council’s 19th annual meeting with all ten ASEAN Economic Ministers. Ambassador Jeffrey Gerrish, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, led the consultation as part of the AEM-USTR Dialogue.

On August 20, the US-ASEAN Business Council met with Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, H.E. Vivian Balakrishnan, as part of its 2018 Singapore Business Mission. The delegation of 22 companies, which is the largest Singapore Business Mission to date, was led by the Chair of the Council’s Singapore Committee, Karl Cox, Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Oracle; Alexander C. Feldman, President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council; and Ambassador Michael W. Michalak, Council Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director.

On July 31, the US-ASEAN Business Council organized a welcome luncheon in Washington, D.C. in honor of H.E. Ha Kim Ngoc, the new Ambassador of Vietnam to the United States. The luncheon also included remarks by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Ian Steff, who is also currently performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Global Markets.

The US-ASEAN Business Council met with H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret.), Prime Minister of Thailand, during its annual Thailand Business Mission on June 28, 2018. The delegation of 38 companies was co-led by the Chairman of the Council’s Board of Directors, Keith Williams, President, CEO and Trustee of Underwriters Laboratories (UL); Alexander C. Feldman, President & CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council; Ambassador Michael W. Michalak, Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director of the US-ASEAN Business Council; and the Council’s Thailand Committee Chair, Brad Middleton, Managing Director, Chevron Asia South.

The US-ASEAN Business Council welcomed three featured speakers at our annual gala dinner: Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Industrial Competitiveness Jeffrey D. Gerrish (and now Acting President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States), Rep. Joaquin Castro, co-chair of the U.S. Congressional Caucus on ASEAN, and Rep. Ted Yoho, Chair of the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The US-ASEAN Business Council met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during its annual Vietnam Business Mission on March 28, 2018. The delegation of 33 companies was co-led by Alexander C. Feldman, President & CEO of the Council; Ambassador Michael W. Michalak, Council Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director; and Chair of the Council’s Vietnam Committee Wouter Van Wersch, President & CEO of GE Asia Pacific.

The US-ASEAN Business Council met with Indonesia President Joko Widodo during its Annual Indonesia Business Mission on March 13 at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. The delegation of 41 US companies was co-led by Alexander C. Feldman, President & CEO of the Council, Ambassador Michael W. Michalak, Council's Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director, and the Chair of the Council's Indonesia Committee Madhusudan Gopalan, President Director of P&G Indonesia.