Organizer: ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute
Type/Location: Virtual
Description:
Southeast Asia in general, and its poorest members in particular, have been hit hard by the Trump tariffs. Laos faces a rate of 40%, Vietnam 20%, and Cambodia 19%. Vietnam has also been threatened with an additional tariff of 25% if transhipment is suspected. The US is by far the largest export market for Cambodia and Vietnam, and has remained consistently in the top five for Laos over recent years. All three have export surpluses with the US, although the size of Vietnam’s surplus is next only to China, the EU and Mexico. In light of this heavy dependence, what are the likely impacts of the Trump tariffs on these countries, in the short and long run? What can they do to mitigate these impacts, in the short and long run? These are some of the questions that the webinar will seek to address.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Milan Thomas is currently a Country Economist at the Cambodia Resident Mission, ADB. Before joining as a young professional in 2020, he has had a decade of experience in design, implementation, and impact evaluation of development innovations from previous positions at Results for Development Institute (Washington, DC), USAID and the World Bank. He holds a PhD in Economics from Georgetown University and a Bachelor in Economics at the University of Cambridge.
Soulinthone Leuangkhamsing is a Principal Economics Officer at the Lao PDR Resident Mission, ADB. Before joining ADB in 2008, he was an Economist at the IMF Lao PDR Resident Representative Office. He participated in the preparation of the Asian Development Outlook Lao Chapter, the annual country programming, and the country partnership strategy 2024-2028. He also supported the processing and implementation of the Governance and Public Finance Management Projects. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the School of Management at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, and a Bachelor in Economics from Flinders University of South Australia.
Prof. Dao Ngoc Tien is Vice President in Vietnam’s Foreign Trade University (FTU), promoting scientific research activities, enhancing academic capabilities and facilitating knowledge and technology transfer to both private and public sectors. He also serves as a senior expert for technical assistance projects of Vietnam in its international economic integration, such as Star+, EU-Mutrap, Arise+, GIZ. He provides guidance to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, various ministries, and Vietnamese enterprises in effectively implementing commitments in various Free Trade Agreements.
Registration:
To attend the event virtually, please register here.