​Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr. Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II attended the 25th ASEAN Economic Community Council Meeting (25th AECC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 25th May 2025. The 25th AECC was chaired by His Excellency Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia and attended by AECC Ministers from ten (10) ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste.

At the 25 th AECC meeting, Ministers took note of the progress of work under ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) pillar, including discussion on ASEAN’s economic outlook. Among others, Ministers took note of the progress of Malaysia’s Priority Economic Deliverables (P.E.D), particularly in welcoming the substantial conclusion of the Upgrade of ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA).

Amidst ongoing trade tensions and uncertainties, AECC reiterated support towards efforts to uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core. In this regard, AECC Ministers reaffirmed commitment to not impose any retaliatory measures in response to U.S. unilateral tariffs and agreed for continued constructive dialogue and collaboration to ensuring a balanced and sustainable relationship. Ministers also highlighted the importance of the ASEAN Geoeconomic Taskforce (AGTF) in providing key strategic foresight and recommendations for ASEAN in navigating present and future geo-economic challenges.

Further, AECC Ministers also took note of the recent convening of the Special ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting with Dialogue Partners namely People’s Republic of China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand (CER) on 20th May 2025.

At the meeting, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II, among others, commended the steady progress of the AEC, particularly the endorsement of the AEC Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and implementation of the Bandar Seri Begawan Roadmap for Digital Transformation (BSBR). Yang Berhormat Dato also welcomed the substantial conclusion of ATIGA and ACFTA upgrade negotiations, which is envisioned to play a vital role in the strengthening of ASEAN economic integration efforts. 

The 25 th AECC meeting was preceded by the Preparatory Meeting of the Senior Economic Officials (Prep-SEOM) on 24th May 2025. The meeting was also attended by Yang Mulia Dr Hajah May Fa’ezah binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin, Permanent Secretary (Economy, Trade and Industry) and officers from Trade Division, Ministry of Finance and Economy.

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Prepared by: 

Trade Division

Ministry of Finance and Economy 

Email: BruneiSEOM@mofe.gov.bn 

Reference: KKW/TD/ASN: 40 

Date: 27 May 2025  

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