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Roundtable on the Future of Global Trade

Jayant Menon|Priyanka Kishore|Alex Capri|Julia Tijaja|Runchana Pongsaparn|Nick Marro

On 2 April 2025, the Trump 2.0 administration announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs aimed at eliminating the US trade deficit with individual countries – in a move hailed by US President Donald Trump as “Liberation Day”. Southeast Asian countries have not been spared, with Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar among the hardest hit. Some countries, including China, have responded with retaliatory measures, raising the risk of further escalation from the US. While a temporary 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs offers a brief respite, this period is set to expire in early July.

ASEAN Vision 2045: What Does It Hold for Our Shared Future?

Elizabeth Buensuceso

ASEANFocus+ is pleased to feature H.E. Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, the Philippines’ Eminent Person to the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on the Post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision (ACV). As the ACV 2045 was adopted at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Ambassador Buensuceso offers insights into its development, sharing the formulation process and how the ACV 2045 will help ASEAN navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving geopolitical environment.

Green Hydrogen in Southeast Asia: Connecting National Strategies with Public Support

Christopher Len

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s 2024 Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey highlights a notable rise in public enthusiasm for green hydrogen year-on-year. However, continued public support towards green hydrogen will depend on the ability of policymakers to deliver on their promises. Public enthusiasm may turn negative if the public is forced to pay a high cost for green hydrogen, or when concerns over its safety arises and remains unaddressed.

An Intelligent Trade-Off: AI as a Double-Edged Sword in Southeast Asia’s Climate Battle

Indira Zahra Aridati

Indira Zahra Aridati argues that although AI offers positive benefits for Southeast Asia’s climate battle, the region should not look at its usage through rose-tinted glasses. Without careful consideration, such systems may inadvertently undermine and be counterintuitive to the very climate goals that they aim to achieve.