The Twenty-Ninth ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Plus Three Consultation was held on 21 September 2026 in Manila, Philippines. The Consultation was co-chaired by H.E. Ma. Cristina A. Roque, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines; Mr. Wang Boyong, Minister-Counsellor of the Chinese Mission to ASEAN; Ms. Ueno Asako, Deputy Director-General for Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan; and Mr. Bae Jun-hyoung, Director General for International Trade Relations, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources of the Republic of Korea.
The Meeting noted that based on ASEAN’s preliminary statistics, the total two-way trade between ASEAN and the Plus Three Countries recorded an increase of 13.7 percent, rising from a total value of USD 1.2 trillion in 2024 to USD 1.4 trillion in 2025. Meanwhile, total foreign direct investment (FDI) flows from the Plus Three Countries into ASEAN reached USD 44.8 billion in 2025, accounting for 18.2 percent of total FDI inflows into ASEAN.
