Organizer: ASEAN Studies Center and the Regional Economic Studies Program, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute
Type/Location: Virtual
Description:
The global trading landscape has become more turbulent in President Trump’s second term as US President. Import tariffs are the key weapon of choice in the US President’s trade policy arsenal. The scale and scope of tariffs imposed by the US have exceeded earlier predictions and expectations. Most Southeast Asian economies have been targeted with high tariffs. The on-again-off-again tariff threats by the US involving tariff postponement for bilateral negotiations have created significant uncertainties in the global economy. These uncertainties are likely to adversely impact private investments and dampen consumption. ASEAN has collectively come out with a statement not to retaliate and many member countries have opted to negotiate directly with the US. The targeting of countries based on merchandise trade surplus will exert more pressure on the re-configuration of the regional supply chain that are currently based on trade diversion and the China +1 strategy. This webinar will examine the current state of play in the US trade policy and its impact on multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in Southeast Asia as the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs lapses in early July 2025.
About the Speakers:
Marc Mealy is the US-ASEAN Business Council’s Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer. He joined the Council in 2003 and was named the Vice President in 2010. Marc has over twenty years of experience in international trade and economics, having served at the International Trade Policy Division of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Services, the United States Foreign Service, and the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. Prior to joining the Council, he served in the U.S. Congress as a member of the Professional Staff of the House International Relations Committee (1999-2001) and the international economic and foreign policy advisor (2001-2003) to Congressmen Gregory Meeks of New York, a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees. Marc holds a B.A. in Economics and Third World Studies from Oberlin College and an M.S. degree in Economics from the University of Florida.
Isamu Wakamatsu is Director-General of the ERIA Collaboration Office and Senior Research Fellow, Research Planning Department, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Mr Wakamatsu has held his current position since August 2024. Prior to this, he has held various research positions both in Tokyo Headquarters and Overseas offices. Most recently, Mr Wakamatsu was Director-General of Research and Analysis Department, JETRO (2021-2024). Before that, he held other Director positions in his career, including Senior Economist (Asia) of JETRO Bangkok (2003-2006), Director of Asia-Oceania Division in Headquarters (2010-2014), Executive Director of Research & Information Service Division of JETRO New York(2016-2020). His area of expertise includes economic integration in Asia, FDI of Japanese companies. He received his MA in Policy Studies from National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS).
Dr. Dan Wang is China Director for Eurasia Group, where she leads research and policy advisory on China’s economy and global strategy. She previously served as Chief Economist at Hang Seng Bank China in Shanghai, overseeing research on finance, macroeconomic trends, currency policy and forecasting. Dr Wang holds a PhD in economics from the University of Washington, with expertise in property rights, macroeconomics, and econometrics. As a postdoctoral researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, she led national surveys and advised central government on agricultural subsidies and the livestock industry. She is a regular commentator in major international media, a columnist for FT China, and a frequent participant in high-level policy discussions in China and abroad.
Registration:
To attend the event online, please register here.