Kuala Lumpur, 25 September 2025: ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe participated in the 13th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting brought together the ten ASEAN Member States and eight EAS partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States – to discuss regional economic priorities and cooperation.

In his intervention, President Watanabe shared ERIA’s perspectives on mainstreaming Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into the region’s economic agenda. He emphasised that ESG has become a strategic driver of competitiveness, resilience, and inclusive growth, and called for greater alignment amongst EAS economies to achieve shared sustainability goals.

President Watanabe highlighted the importance of expanding sustainable finance, enhancing access for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and developing transparent measurement and reporting systems. He reaffirmed ERIA’s readiness to support the region through capacity-building programmes, carbon market development, and circular economy initiatives.

The meeting commended ERIA’s continued research support for regional economic integration and took note of ERIA’s report, Unlocking New Frontiers of Economic Integration: ESG-Driven ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026–2030. Ministers also welcomed ERIA’s ongoing policy recommendations, analytical studies, and capacity-building initiatives that will assist EAS participating countries in implementing the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026–2030.

As a premier knowledge partner in the EAS process, ERIA will continue to provide evidence-based analysis and practical support to help shape a sustainable and future-ready regional economy.

Joint statement: https://asean.org/joint-media-statement-of-the-thirteenth-eas-economic-ministers-meeting/

Photo credit: ASEAN Secretariat