Office of the Spokesperson
At the 2023 U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Vice President Harris joined with the leaders of ASEAN in announcing their intent to establish, through a public-private partnership, a U.S.-ASEAN Center in Washington, D.C. To that end, the State Department has established a public-private partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) to launch the Center. The Center will further institutionalize and deepen the relationship between the United States and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) while bolstering support for U.S. economic and cultural engagement with Southeast Asia.
Since the establishment of our dialogue partnership in 1977, ASEAN and the United States have built extensive cooperation in various areas under the political-security, economy, and socio-cultural pillars. The United States is the largest source of foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia, and more than 6,200 U.S. businesses have contributed to a record $520.3 billion in total trade between the United States and the nations of ASEAN in 2022, creating 625,000 jobs in all 50 states, and 1 million jobs throughout Southeast Asia. The close partnership between ASEAN and the United States is also reflected in the increasing people-to-people engagements for our combined one billion people, as well as the growing number of students from ASEAN countries in the United States. Center activities will be aimed at supporting the United States’ and ASEAN’s joint efforts to promote an open, connected, prosperous, resilient, and secure region.
The Department is proud to partner with ASU for this important component of the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). ASU has a longstanding demonstrated commitment to academic programs and studies on issues in Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Further, with an academic presence in Washington, D.C.; Tempe, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; as well as throughout Southeast Asia, ASU is well-positioned to facilitate coordination with ASEAN, as well as with key private sector organizations and academic institutions across the ASEAN region.
