Kuala Lumpur, 27 October 2025: The ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF), held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, brought together leaders from government, business, and international organisations to discuss ASEAN’s central role in shaping a fair and transparent global economic order.

Jointly organised by Indonesia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with ERIA as an official knowledge partner, the forum underscored ASEAN’s growing importance as both a regional hub and a global stakeholder amid shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics.

ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe joined the opening high-level panel alongside John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); Nicholas Moore, Australia’s Special Envoy for Southeast Asia; and Hunt Vander Toll, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia and ASEAN at the U.S. Department of State. The session was moderated by Bernardino Vega, KADIN Vice Chairman for Foreign Affairs.

In his remarks, President Watanabe stressed that ASEAN’s resilience depends on achieving two imperatives: deeper regional integration and more diversified partnerships with trusted external partners.

‘Intra-ASEAN trade remains the single largest component of ASEAN’s total trade – around 21–22%, or roughly US$770 billion in 2023, ’ he noted. ‘This shows ASEAN is already a key market for itself, but also highlights vast untapped potential, as nearly 80% of trade still flows outside the region.’

He cautioned that while ASEAN must remain open and globally connected, overreliance on any single market or supply chain poses risks. Strategic partnerships with dialogue partners, he said, are essential for maintaining balance, resilience, and fair competition.

President Watanabe further underscored that complementarity should guide ASEAN’s future co-operation:

‘ASEAN has a young, dynamic population and a strong manufacturing base, while partners such as the United States and Japan excel in AI, advanced technology, and semiconductors. Innovation that builds on these complementary strengths should be at the heart of future collaboration.’

He also highlighted inclusivity as a cornerstone of ASEAN’s development, noting that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) – which make up over 90% of all ASEAN businesses – remain underrepresented in cross-border value chains due to regulatory fragmentation, payment barriers, and weak digital infrastructure.

‘Supply chain resilience will depend on how well ASEAN connects its resource base, industrial capacity, and innovation ecosystems, ’ he said. ‘No single actor can achieve this alone. Governments, industries, and knowledge institutions like ERIA must work together as one regional network.’

President Watanabe also introduced ERIA’s ongoing research on critical minerals and semiconductor supply chains, aimed at supporting ASEAN’s industrial upgrading and long-term economic security.