Dear members,
Greetings from the Council. We send our sincere condolences to the people of Myanmar and Thailand, where so many lives have been lost owing to the recent deadly earthquake. Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by this tragedy.
As new trade policies emerge in Washington, we have maintained our active engagement with the U.S. government, hosting multiple high-level roundtables for our members and closely monitoring developments. This busy month also featured our annual Vietnam Business Mission and Health & Life Sciences Mission to Hanoi, which proved to be the largest U.S. business delegation that has visited Vietnam to date.
For the first time in two decades, our delegation was able to secure a meeting with Party General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam’s most powerful leader. The delegation—which was comprised of industry leaders from the technology, financial services, logistics, energy, aerospace, healthcare, and consumer goods sectors—was warmly received by Vietnam’s leadership, including General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Vice Chairman Vu Hong Thanh of the National Assembly, and key ministers. Vietnam’s leaders conveyed a clear and consistent message: the country is committed to proactively addressing its trade imbalance with the United States.
The mission provided companies with a valuable opportunity to engage with Vietnam’s newly restructured government and hear directly from top officials on the nation’s strategic direction for entering a new phase of double-digit growth. This year’s delegation was particularly significant owing to the participation of three current and former U.S. Ambassadors to Vietnam—Ambassador Marc Knapper, Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, and me—along with Ambassador Brian McFeeters, former U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, underscoring the high level of U.S. engagement in strengthening ties with Vietnam.
On the heels of the Vietnam Business Mission, Ambassador McFeeters led our annual Health & Life Sciences Industry Mission to Hanoi. The delegation, comprised of 11 companies from various sectors—including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, nutrition, and healthcare innovation—engaged with key Vietnamese health-related government agencies, including representatives from the Ministry of Health, the National Assembly Committee on Social Affairs, and Vietnam Social Security.
As part of the mission, the Council hosted a workshop on Preventive Healthcare, presenting key insights from its research paper, “Advancing Preventive Health in Southeast Asia: Recommendations for Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam,” developed with support from steering committee members. This workshop provided a valuable opportunity for member companies to engage directly with relevant stakeholders in Vietnam’s preventive healthcare sector. Building on this momentum, the Council will host similar workshops in the Philippines and Malaysia in April.
To ensure close and active engagement with the new administration in Washington, we held a highly subscribed U.S. Government Meet and Greet early this month, attended by senior officials from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, Treasury, and Energy, along with the White House National Security Council. Members heard about the new administration’s policy priorities in Southeast Asia while sharing challenges in the region related to tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. Discussions included strategies to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in domains such as energy security and supply chain stability. The Council emphasized the need for stronger interagency collaboration and deeper engagement with U.S. government officials to support American business interests in ASEAN.
Following this Meet and Greet session, the Council hosted a Business Roundtable with Sarah Ellerman, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, to discuss the White House’s foreign and trade policy goals in Southeast Asia. The event allowed members to share their priorities for trade in Southeast Asia and hear from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on U.S. trade strategy in the Asia-Pacific.
Finally, I had the privilege of presenting our Founder's Award to Jeff Greenberg, chairman and co-CEO of C.V. Starr & Co. Inc. and chairman of Starr International Company Inc. Jeff Greenberg accepted the award on behalf of his father, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, who was instrumental in the founding of the Council and is Chair Emeritus of our Board of Directors. This award was the fourth and final Founder's Award that was bestowed to honor the Council's 40th anniversary. Last year, I presented awards to Robert Driscoll, former President of the Council; Carla Hills, on behalf of her late husband, Roderick Hills, former Chair of the Council; and Ernie Bower, former President of the Council.
We have another exciting month ahead, featuring our annual Business Mission to the ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I look forward to seeing you at one of our programs soon.
Best regards,
Ted
EXPERT SPOTLIGHT: REP. AMI BERA
Earlier this month, Ambassador Osius had the pleasure of sitting down with Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. for an exclusive interview. Congressman Bera has represented Sacramento County in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. He is currently a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. He is also Co-Chair of the ASEAN Caucus.
In Ambassador Osius and Congressman Bera’s wide-ranging conversation, the pair discussed the current administration’s trade policy; new avenues for collaboration between U.S. businesses and ASEAN; and the rapidly evolving relationships between the United States, China, and Southeast Asia. Congressman Bera shared his thoughts on tariffs, semiconductors, and digital trade, as well as expressing his optimism for the role that the energy sector will play in U.S.-ASEAN economic relations.
Keep an eye out for the full interview, which will be published on the Council’s website soon.
UPCOMING EVENTS
On April 3, the Council will kick off the first leg of its three-country Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) workshop series in Manila, Philippines, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Workshop sessions will include establishing effective EPR schemes, overcoming implementation challenges, and incentives for EPR adoption. The following EPR workshops will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Jakarta, Indonesia later this year as part of a special project developed to promote sustainability and deepen understanding of the EPR framework across ASEAN. The workshop series is supported by The Coca-Cola Company, SC Johnson, and ExxonMobil, in collaboration with CropLife Asia and Food Industry Asia (FIA).
The Council is organizing its annual Business Mission to the 12th ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from April 8 to 10. This year’s business mission will focus on regional competitiveness, digital transformation of financial industries, and digital payments. The delegation will make a presentation to the ministers and governors at a plenary session and will conduct bilateral meetings with individual ASEAN governments, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Additionally, the Council and its members are currently developing a white paper outlining recommendations on these key themes, which will be submitted to the ministers and governors. Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director Ambassador Brian McFeeters (ret.) will lead the Mission. For questions about the AFMGM Business Mission and white paper, please contact Christine Wan (cwan@usasean.org) and Bella Afifa (safifa@usasean.org).
In April, the Council’s Aerospace, Defense, and Security (ADS) Committee will hold a roundtable discussion and networking event with the Washington ASEAN Defense Attaché Association (WADAA), featuring a senior U.S. defense policy official. The event is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of April 22 in Washington.
On April 29, the Council will convene a congressional roundtable and reception at Robinhood’s offices in Washington. The roundtable, which will be open to Chairman’s Council members, will feature Congressman Ami Bera, Co-Chair of the ASEAN Caucus, among other members of Congress. A reception will follow the roundtable, where member companies will enjoy the opportunity to interface with members of Congress on U.S.-ASEAN economic relations. For more information, please contact Max Knight (mknight@usasean.org) or Robin Huang (rhuang@usasean.org).
The Council is registering senior-level executives for the 2025 Malaysia Business Mission, to be held in Kuala Lumpur from May 13 to 15. This year's mission holds great significance as Malaysia is the 2025 ASEAN chair. The mission will provide the delegation with the unique opportunity for exclusive in-person dialogues with the Anwar Ibrahim Administration as well as the East Malaysian governments. For more information, please contact Mega Valentina (mega@usasean.org) or Emma Tabatabai (emma@usasean.org).
COMINGS AND GOINGS
On March 3, Reihan Ihza Farial joined our Jakarta office as the ASEAN Associate after serving as Junior Communications Strategist for the “America Matters for Indonesia” project. Reihan previously supported our SME Program and ASEAN Committee as an intern and worked as a Commercial Management Trainee at Perfetti van Melle, a multinational confectionery producer company. Reihan is a graduate of Gadjah Mada University, with a major in International Relations.
The Council welcomed Nguyen Minh Duc, an economic policy analyst, on March 23 to the Vietnam team, where he will cover the ICT sector. Minh Duc earned his BA from Hanoi Law University, where he received numerous academic awards. He worked for 12 years for the Legal Department of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), where he prepared VCCI's opinions on Vietnam's draft laws and regulations in all business-related areas. Minh Duc is the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, which enabled him to pursue a Master of Public Administration in Economic Policy Management at Columbia University.
COUNCIL IN THE NEWS
Boeing, Apple, GE to join US business mission to Vietnam next week, list shows - Reuters
Vietnam at ‘Real’ Risk of New US Tariffs, US Business Group Says - Bloomberg
Việt Nam hosts record-breaking US business delegation - Viet Nam News
Minister urges FedEx to boost trade, aviation security cooperation - VietnamPlus
64 US businesses come to Vietnam, the most ever - Vietnam.vn
Big names join US business mission to Vietnam - Bangkok Post
Boeing (NYSE:BA) Makes a Greater Push on Asia - The Globe and Mail
US-ASEAN Business Council highlights trade concerns during Vietnam visit - VN Economy
US companies vow to expand investment in Vietnam - Vietnam Investment Review
US companies vow to expand investment in Vietnam - Vietnam Plus
US businesses ready to expand investment in Vietnam, says USABC chief - VOV World
Vietnam should phase out tax levy on sugary drinks: US-ASEAN Business Council - The Investor
Viet Nam is fastest growing country in Southeast Asia: USABC President - Thời báo Tài chính Việt Nam
Apple to expand activities in Vietnam, seeks ministry help with recruitment - The Investor
DepEd program to speed up teaching supplies delivery - Journal News Online
When Vietnam is the destination of foreign investors - Vietnam.vn
Việt Nam seeks global partnership to achieve ambitious growth targets - Viet Nam News
Vietnam strongly supports and assists US businesses to operate effectively - Vietnam.vn
Taking proactive steps to keep strong US interest in Vietnam - Vietnam Investment Review
US-ASEAN links attain higher status - Vietnam Investment Review
Apple seeks Vietnam support in talent pool and operations expansion - DigiTimes Asia
US corporations and the politics of compliance in Southeast Asia - East Asia Forum
Opportunities Amid Tariff Risks: Vietnam Aims for Trade Balance with the US - Vietnam Briefing
CDC report US investors ‘optimistic’ about investing in Cambodia - Phnom Penh Post
Vietnam, US boost agricultural trade - Vietnam Plus
