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Dear Members,
Since my last newsletter, the international community has felt two great losses. On April 19, we lost H.E. Rodolfo C. Severino Jr., who was the 10th Secretary General of ASEAN and the second Filipino to hold the position. Ambassador Severino saw ASEAN through the new millennium and the peak of the Asian financial crisis (see our press release). On April 28, former U.S. senior Senator Richard Lugar passed. Senator Lugar’s work in nonproliferation leaves a legacy of a safer world, and in ASEAN, his diplomacy has been credited for saving the U.S.-Philippine relationship (see our press release). I extend my deepest condolences on the loss of these accomplished leaders.
(Singapore) - The US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) and the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) today hosted the first industry-led 2019 ASEAN Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue in Singapore, bringing together key stakeholders, including industry and regulators, to discuss the future of Over-the-Top (OTT) services and its contributing role to the growth of the ASEAN digital economy.
Location: Manila, Philippines
Date: May 3, 2019
Participants: 165 entrepreneurs
Member Participants: Cisco, Marriott International, Coca Cola and Google
Partners: Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippine Trade and Training Center (PTTC), Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PHILEXPORT).
Overview
(Singapore) – The Council, during this year’s Singapore Business Mission, was among the first business groups to meet members of the Singapore cabinet following the cabinet reshuffle announced on April 23. This year’s business mission also celebrates the 15th anniversary of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement which first came into force January 1, 2004.
From May 7-9, the Council-led delegation of 18 leading U.S. firms met with the Government of Singapore to discuss key economic policy and connectivity goals after its 2018 ASEAN Chairmanship, with a focus on Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative.
The delegation of U.S. firms expressed support for Singapore’s development of a strong digital infrastructure, enabling the goal outlined in its 2019 Budget of becoming a global node of Technology, Innovation and Enterprise.
(Manila) – More than 165 owners and executives of travel and tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Manila and surrounding cities participated in a full-day workshop on May 3 titled, “Strengthening a Sustainable Tourism Model for SMEs in Digital Transformation.” The workshop was a joint initiative of the US-ASEAN Business Council, the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) with support from the Philippine Trade Training Centre (PTTC), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT).
Membership Associate, US-ASEAN Business Council
Chief Country Representative - Indonesia, US-ASEAN Business Council
(Washington, DC) - The Board of Directors, members and staff of the US-ASEAN Business Council convey deepest condolences to the Lugar family and the ASEAN community on the passing on April 28 of the Honorable Richard Lugar, senior Senator from Indiana.
“I am saddened to learn of this loss of a gifted leader and foreign policy expert,” said Alexander C. Feldman, President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council. “Senator Lugar, in his decades of prolific public service, was also a global statesman who leaves a legacy of a safer world with his accomplishments in nuclear nonproliferation, and in ASEAN, a particularly important mark on the U.S.-Philippine relationship.”
Notably, Senator Lugar, as head a U.S. Congressional delegation, observed the 1986 Philippine presidential election and took a firm stance on his view that new elections should be held which has been noted as saving the U.S.-Philippine relationship by the Associated Press.