USABC LAUNCHES 7TH EDITION OF 'ASEAN MATTERS FOR AMERICA, AMERICA MATTERS FOR ASEAN'

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- The US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), in collaboration with the East-West Center in Washington and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, recently launched the publication of the 7th edition of 'ASEAN Matters for America, America Matters for ASEAN' at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) in Kuala Lumpur.

The council said the flagship publication maps the trade, investment, employment, business, diplomacy, security, education, tourism, and people-to-people connections between the United States and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the national, state, and local levels. 

"At this pivotal time for US-ASEAN economic relations, USABC is proud to launch this timely report underlining the region’s significance with a comprehensive collection of facts and figures,” said the interim chief executive officer and president of USABC, Ambassador Brian McFeeters, in a statement.

He cited, for instance, US-ASEAN trade that has surged to US$553 billion annually, with ASEAN now America’s fourth largest export market.  Furthermore, ASEAN is projected to become the world's fourth-largest economy by 2030. 

"For those of us who have spent our lives and careers working in Southeast Asia, we need no convincing that ASEAN matters. We know what the opportunities are, but it is incumbent on us to share this information with others, including global policymakers and business leaders. ‘ASEAN Matters’ is an unparalleled resource we can use to bolster this message," said McFeeters.

-- BERNAMA