Trade turnover between Vietnam and Laos topped US$290 million in January 2025, up 66.5% year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Laos.
Vietnam, a key importer of Indonesian coal, imported 2.49 billion USD worth in 2024. Coal remains Vietnam’s largest import from Indonesia, contributing significantly to the 4.34 billion USD in total imports from the country
Sweden has expressed strong support for the swift establishment of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Malaysia. This endorsement aligns with Sweden’s active participation in EU trade negotiations, as the country does not independently conclude FTAs but collaborates within the EU framework.
Return of Indian rice to the world market shakes up competition
Asean to hold talks on ways to approach tariff threat but some members are already making their own moves to negotiate with Trump’s administration
On the sidelines of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly announced the ‘substantive conclusion of negotiations’ for a Canada–Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. Set to come into effect in 2025, this agreement highlights Canada’s progress as a latecomer to the Southeast Asian economic stage just three years after introducing its Indo-Pacific Strategy.
The high-level plenary session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2025 on February 26 focused on ASEAN’s future, strategic autonomy, economic sustainability, and regional cooperation, with the participation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta.
The Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said this includes upgrading the Asean Trade In Goods Agreement (Atiga), continuing discussions on the Digital Economic Framework Agreement (Defa) and Timor Leste's membership into the grouping.