Designated by Ministry of Industry and Trade’s leaders, the representatives from Department of Multilateral Trade Policy and the Viet Nam Trade Office in Malaysia attended the 48th Meeting of the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI 48) in Kuantan, Malaysia, from August 4 to 5, 2025. The meeting was attended by representatives of ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, and Timor-Leste (as observer).  

The HLTF-EI 48 meeting focused on discussions covering:  

(i) recent developments in the global and regional economy, including the outcomes of the ASEAN Geoeconomic Task Force meetings;  

(ii) the progress of Malaysia’s Priority Economic Deliverables (PEDs) in 2025;  

(iii) the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025;  

(iv) outcomes of the 15th meeting of the Working Group on post-2025 AEC Strategic Plan;  

(v) supplementary non-paper on AEC refining calendars;  

(vi) assessment of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in ASEAN and proposed way forward to address these barriers;  

(vii) proposals for cooperation between ASEAN and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  

On the sidelines of the meeting, ASEAN countries listened to and exchanged views on two presentations — one by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on new regional and global developments and their impact on ASEAN, and another by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)’s study on developing the ASEAN Framework for Integration of the Semiconductor Supply Chain (AFISS).  

During the meeting, ASEAN countries noted that the region’s economic growth rate in 2024 reached 4.8%, with a forecast of 4.2% for 2025; total merchandise trade value amounted to USD 3.8 trillion, with intra-ASEAN trade holding the largest share (21.4%), followed by trade with China (20.1%), the United States (11.8%), and the EU (7.6%). Member states reaffirmed ASEAN’s central role in regional economic and trade cooperation and acknowledged progress made in economic integration while setting directions for further deepening intra-regional trade and investment.  

Participating in the discussion, the Vietnamese delegation noted the assessments of the meeting on the current regional and global economic situation and reaffirmed Viet Nam’s commitment to a multilateral trade system with the WTO at its core. Given current circumstances, Viet Nam emphasized that ASEAN should continue to uphold its role and position in the region, strengthen the bloc’s resilience through enhanced regional economic integration, and bolster economic ties between ASEAN and external partners by fully leveraging its existing economic agreements, particularly the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Viet Nam also put forward proposals such as initiating an ASEAN–CPTPP dialogue, seeking and expanding cooperation with new partners, and building ASEAN’s capacity in emerging areas such as digital transformation, green transition, and the semiconductor industry.  

At the same time, Viet Nam expressed its support for Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship’s PEDs, confirming its commitment to work closely with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to achieve the set objectives and contribute to the overall success of ASEAN 2025. Vietnam also announced plans to host the 16th meeting of the Working Group on Developing the post-2025 AEC Strategic Plan in Hoi An, Da Nang, Vietnam.  

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation held a bilateral meeting with the Philippine delegation, led by Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, Allan B. Gepty. Both sides acknowledged the results of trade–industry cooperation and discussed proposals to further strengthen bilateral relations in the future.  

The HLTF-EI 48 Meeting concluded successfully, putting forward recommendations on ASEAN economic integration to be submitted to the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for mid-September 2025.