Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual welcomed the presentation of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) on their proposed research and capacity building activities this year in the areas of digital integration, services, and trade facilitation, among others, as well as the Digital Innovation and Sustainable Economy Center to be launched by this year.
During the meeting with ERIA President Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura on June 5, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan, Secretary Pascual expressed the Philippines is keen to collaborate with ERIA’s experts in ongoing initiatives where the region will benefit from, such as the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, the ASEAN Post-2025 Vision, and the establishment of a regional initiative on carbon neutrality.
ERIA is an international organization that was established by an agreement of the leaders of the sixteen (16) East Asia Summit (EAS) member countries. Its main role is to conduct research and policy analyses to facilitate the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and to support wider regional community building.
The following officials also joined the meeting: Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN; Arsjad Rasjid, Chairman of Kadin Indonesia/ASEAN-BAC 2023; and Hirohide Hirai, Vice-Minister of METI.
