Panel, Conference Presentation
Can Globalization Be Great Again? Doing Business in a Changing World | Asia Summit 2025
- The Asia-Pacific region is projected to account for more than half of global GDP by 2030, with intra-regional trade constituting 60 percent of Asian exports and trade flows to Europe and Latin America showing consecutive expansion and double-digit growth rates respectively.
- China-to-US trade deficits are estimated to be partially absorbed by the European market, with studies indicating that 35 to 55 percent of this volume will shift due to rising consumption in Europe.
- Indonesia aims to leverage existing free trade agreements, which currently facilitate 68 percent of its exports, to expand market access into Tunisia, Mozambique, and Sri Lanka.
- Logistics capacity is being expanded to meet regional demand, including FedEx routes connecting Singapore to the US, China to Europe, and Korea to Taiwan, with additional Vietnam-Korea capacity scheduled for launch within weeks.
- Unilever is pivoting production and market focus toward Southeast Asia and the Middle East for K-beauty, identifying India as the primary emerging market and anticipating double-digit growth through partnerships with Naver and Coupang.
- Unilever intends to exploit growth in alternate channels such as Australian DIY hardware retailers and is targeting Ethiopia, a market of 100 million consumers with a recently liberalized currency, while de-averaging strategies seek opportunities in underserved areas.
- Naver plans significant investment in AI and the export of software, cloud, and enterprise services to Korean conglomerates, Japanese businesses, and Middle Eastern markets.
- Global technology companies face increasing challenges in the North American market, prompting a strategic reinvestment of capital into Southeast Asia and the Middle East alongside a reassessment of cross-APAC trade dynamics.
- A potential widening gap between US emerging technology capabilities and other regions is noted, contrasting with general equalization in other sectors.
- The Indonesian government is prioritizing downstreaming of specific industries to generate job creation and technology transfer, while focusing on healthcare, education, and green energy to elevate the nation toward becoming one of the world's largest economies.
- Indonesia's economic structure relies heavily on small and medium enterprises, which contribute over 60 percent of the country's GDP and are 64 percent run by women, supported by trade representatives in 33 countries.
- Future globalization is expected to shift competition from cost optimization and labor offshoring to finding new demand, with economic power becoming more distributed across regions over the next 5 to 10 years.
- Sustainability remains a central pillar of future development trajectories, and companies are advised to pioneer new markets, channels, sourcing methods, and business models to navigate inevitable crises.
- Globalization is anticipated to continue moving forward despite fluctuations, driven by private corporations' ability to coexist with shifting definitions of global integration.