A new study published in the Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) reveals that the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) has brought significant growth to regional trade, but its benefits for agriculture are unevenly distributed across Southeast Asian countries.
The ASEAN wellness economy shows uneven but resilient growth, with Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines shaping a diversified regional landscape across tourism, lifestyle, and health sectors.
The Malaysian government aims to raise pineapple export value to RM2 billion (approximately US$425 million) by 2027 as part of its strategy to strengthen the sector, which is positioned as a high-value agricultural commodity.
The Philippines has lifted a temporary ban on pork and pork products from Poland, reopening a fast-growing Southeast Asian market for Polish exporters, Poland’s Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday.
Defying US tariffs, Singapore’s key exports grew faster than officially forecast in 2025, though the momentum slowed in the last month of the year.
China has shattered global records with a staggering trade surplus of approximately $1.2 trillion for 2025, fueled by a relentless export boom that has flooded international markets with everything from electronics to machinery.
Myanmar continues to export seafood steadily to over 40 countries, including China, Thailand, Bangladesh and Japan, through both maritime routes and land border trade channels.
Indonesia’s Trade Ministry said a local soy sauce producer signed a letter of intent with a leading Dutch importer and distributor, securing a contract worth US$120,000, or about two billion rupiah, to expand exports to Europe.
<p>Time: November 2025<br /> By: WTO and International Trade Group, Legal Department – VCCI</p>
