IN January I joined Federica Mogherini, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in Brussels as she co-chaired the 22nd EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. It was an impressive occasion, and the best attended such gathering anyone could remember, with almost all the 10 ASEAN and 28 EU member states represented by their foreign ministers. Brussels was preparing for its first big snowfall of the winter, but the reception we gave our ASEAN partners was a truly warm one.
The three predominantly Muslim countries out of ten in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, are on the way to form a new hub for Islamic finance and the wider halal industry through their current roadmaps to develop the sector.
Over the past few years, the ASEAN aquaculture industry has witnessed moderate growth due to land expansion, species diversification, and farming intensification.
Two-way trade between Laos and Vietnam exceeded 1 billion USD in 2018, up 13 percent annually and surpassing the set target, according to the Lao Laophatthana newspaper.
The manufacturing sector has been one of ASEAN’s key economic growth drivers. Already, the region is a global manufacturing hub and is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6 percent between 2016 to 2020.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) said on February 19 that it has decided to resume talks on the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Indonesia after a hiatus of five years.
As the domestic construction industry is struggling and shows no sign of reviving, South Korea seems to have decided to look outside the country to overcome difficulties. In particular, the country is moving to beef up its presence in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Last week’s US-ASEAN Partnership Forum highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to deepen economic ties to the region. But it will not seek to mirror China’s Belt and Road, nor Europe’s plan to make economic cooperation contingent on the upholding of human rights.
<p>Time: November 2025<br /> By: WTO and International Trade Group, Legal Department – VCCI</p>
