ASEAN Foreign Ministers Forum
On Thursday, May 4, 2017, the Southeast Asia Program, along with the US-ASEAN Business Council, hosted an off-the-record and invite-only ASEAN Foreign Ministers Forum following their meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Dr. John J. Hamre, CSIS President and CEO welcomed the attendees, while the Hon. Daniel Russel, Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute, provided scene-setting remarks. Dr. Amy E. Searight, Senior Adviser and Director, Southeast Asia Program, CSIS, introduced the speakers and the discussion was moderated by Dr. Michael J. Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, CSIS. The foreign ministers spoke about their meeting with Secretary Tillerson and shared their views on Southeast Asia’s initial engagements with the Trump administration. They also discussed the upcoming ASEAN and APEC meetings in the region, regional security issues, and economic integration in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
At a reception following the forum, Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on ASEAN, and Mr. Alexander Feldman, President and CEO, US-ASEAN Business Council provided comments.
The discussion and reception featured:
H.E. Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brunei
H.E. Retno Marsudi
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia
H.E. Saleumxay Kommasith
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laos
H.E. U Thaung Tun
National Security Adviser, Myanmar
H.E. Enrique Manalo
Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Philippines
H.E. Vivian Balakrishnan
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore
H.E. Don Pramudwinai
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand
H.E. Nguyen Quoc Dung
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam
