Kuala lumpur: The US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), in partnership with the East-West Center in Washington and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, has unveiled the 7th edition of the publication ‘ASEAN Matters for America, America Matters for ASEAN’. This launch took place recently at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) held in Kuala Lumpur.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the publication serves as a comprehensive map of the trade, investment, employment, business, diplomacy, security, education, tourism, and people-to-people connections between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The report provides insights at the national, state, and local levels.

Ambassador Brian McFeeters, the interim chief executive officer and president of USABC, expressed pride in launching this significant report during a critical period for US-ASEAN economic relations. He highlighted the report’s role in emphasizing the region’s importance through a detailed collection of data. McFeeters noted the annual trade between the US and ASEAN has reached US$553 billion, positioning ASEAN as America’s fourth-largest export market. He also mentioned projections showing ASEAN is on track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030.

McFeeters emphasized the need to share the opportunities in ASEAN with global policymakers and business leaders. He described ‘ASEAN Matters’ as an invaluable resource to reinforce this message and promote the significance of ASEAN in global economic discussions.