65th East Asia Business Council (EABC) Meeting and Official Handover of Chairmanship | January 28, 2026 | Manila, Philippines

The 65th Meeting of the East Asia Business Council (EABC) and the Official Handover of Chairmanship were convened on January 28, 2026 at the Roma Salon Meeting Room, The Manila Hotel, Philippines, bringing together representatives from business organisations and chambers across the ASEAN+3 economies to deliberate on regional economic priorities and strengthen private sector collaboration in East Asia.

The meeting marked the conclusion of Malaysia’s Chairmanship of EABC for 2025, represented by Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Soh Thian Lai on behalf of Tan Sri Azman Hashim, and the official handover of the EABC Chairmanship to Mr Jay Y. Yuvallos of the Philippines for 2026. At the same time, the Co-Chairmanship was handed over from China, represented by Ms Xia Tian on behalf of Mr Ren Hongbin, to Mr Tetsuya Matsuoka of Japan for 2026. The leadership transition reflects the Council’s continued commitment to fostering collaborative regional leadership among ASEAN+3 business communities.

In reflecting on the achievements of Malaysia’s 2025 Chairmanship, Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Soh Thian Lai highlighted the Council’s focus on addressing global economic uncertainties, supply chain disruptions and rising protectionism while reinforcing EABC’s role as a business-led and evidence-based platform supporting regional economic integration. A key deliverable during the year was the EABC-JETRO Business Outlook Survey, which recorded a strong response rate from businesses across the region and revealed that while awareness of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) remains high, actual utilisation by companies is still limited due to capability gaps and insufficient knowledge. The findings informed policy recommendations to strengthen supply chain resilience, accelerate digitalisation, enhance trade facilitation, and support MSMEs in the sustainability transition.

During the meeting, members also formally adopted the EABC Theme for 2026: “Reinforcing Trust, Integration, and Sustainability in the East Asia Economic Architecture.” The theme reflects the shared commitment of the incoming Philippines Chair and Japan Co-Chair to strengthen regional confidence through deeper economic integration, sustainable growth and improved governance amid evolving global economic dynamics, including the implementation of RCEP, digital transformation and supply chain reconfiguration.

Under the 2026 work programme, EABC will focus on three strategic pillars, namely:

1. Sustainability and Circular Economy, aimed at equipping MSMEs with practical tools and capacity building to adopt greener and more resource-efficient business practices;
2. Regional Value Chain and RCEP Integration, focusing on increasing RCEP utilisation, strengthening MSME participation in regional value chains and promoting digital trade facilitation; and
3. Governance and Investor Confidence, which seeks to enhance transparency, strengthen the operating environment for businesses and promote investor confidence across the region.

Members were also briefed on key initiatives undertaken by the Council, including the EABC White Paper on Strengthening the Operating Environment and Good Governance for Investment, which highlights the importance of administrative clarity, policy consistency and predictable regulatory timelines in shaping investment decisions. In addition, updates were presented by the Working Groups on Digital Economy and MSMEs, covering initiatives such as Digital Trade Connectivity, real-time cross-border payment infrastructure, MSME financing mechanisms and circular economy adoption, all of which aim to enhance regional competitiveness and support sustainable business development.

The 65th EABC Meeting reaffirmed the Council’s continued role as an important platform for public-private dialogue, policy advocacy and regional business collaboration, ensuring that private sector perspectives remain central to the evolving ASEAN+3 economic architecture and the implementation of key regional initiatives such as RCEP.