ASEAN aims to broaden TAC membership and launch historic digital economy pact at November summit
ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn said the organization expects additional states to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation during the November summit, while also signing the region’s first binding digital-economy agreement.
During an exclusive interview, ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn said the bloc anticipates a wave of new signatories to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) at the 49th ASEAN Summit in November, coinciding with the treaty’s 50th anniversary and the Philippines’ chairmanship. He highlighted that the treaty now includes 62 High Contracting Parties, such as Russia, and that further accession would give it a truly global footprint.
The summit will also see the adoption of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), described as the world’s first region-wide legally binding digital-economy treaty. DEFA aims to lift the digital economy’s value from US$300 billion in 2025 to US$2 trillion by 2030, covering SMEs, informal sectors, digital payments, data flows, cybersecurity, e-commerce and data centres. Negotiations wrapped up in May 2026, and member states are currently conducting internal legal reviews before ratification and implementation planning. Additionally, Kao noted progress on the ASEAN Power Grid initiative following recent energy ministers’ talks.
Why it matters
Expanding TAC gives the treaty global influence, while the digital-economy pact could transform Southeast Asia’s market into a $2 trillion sector.
In this story
