Russia-ASEAN trade in 2025 showed significant growth, with trade up over 30% by August, focusing on energy, agriculture, digital tech and nuclear power, while the ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – sought diversified partners and access to Russian goods like components and resources, utilizing non-dollar payments amidst sanctions, with new cooperation plans for 2026-2035 being finalized. Discover trade agreements, investment flows, and business strategies for entering Southeast Asia’s dynamic markets from Russia, and vice-versa.
The Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko is on an Asian tour and has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and proposed “11 Key Technologies” in which Belarus wants to cooperate with China in trade and investment.
Russia is bringing in new cryptocurrency laws from July 1 which have the potential to revolutionise Eurasian and global trade finance and especially with China, India, ASEAN and the Middle East. We examine the laws in detail and analyse what they mean in the next generation of international financial flows.
The Russia-ASEAN business forum was held last week with important geopolitical strategic agreements signed in energy, supply chains, finance, and trade and a 2026-2020 Comprehensive Action Plan. We examine all these initiatives and provide a country-by-country breakdown of deals agreed on a multilateral and bilateral basis with Russia. It is essential reading for anyone involved in ASEAN and Asian affairs.
The Eurasian Economic Union is considering the applications of Myanmar, Nicaragua and Venezuela to become ‘Observer’ states to the EAEU, with several other countries, including India, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Cambodia all negotiating Free Trade Agreements.
Russia and Vietnam are considering the construction of new Gepard-class Frigates for the Vietnamese Navy, with the vessels likely to be built in Vietnamese shipyards under Russian enegineering supervision.
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Vietnam’s Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has invited the Russian President, Vladimir Putin to Vietnam to attend the 2026 APEC conference, the second senior ASEAN official to extend invitations in the past three days. APEC is attended by 21 countries leaders – including the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to the Philippines in November to attend the annual ASEAN summit. Philippines President Marcos extended the invitation following the success of the Russia-ASEAN summit which has just concluded in Moscow. Bilateral trade ties are relatively small at present but a Putin visit is likely to accelerate these ties.
Russia’s agricultural exports to ASEAN are up 5% in the first five months of 2026, with Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia showing the largest increases.
Direct flights between Kazan and Malaysia are being discussed at senior Ministerial levels by both countries. Visa-free access for visitors from both Russia and Malaysia is expected to be in place later this year.
The Russia-ASEAN annual summit is currently taking place in Kazan amongst huge geopolitical changes in Eurasia. We discuss what these mean and provide a detailed overview of Russia’s trade with ASEAN – including with nine of its member countries. It is essential reading for anyone involved in Southeast Asian trade and investment.
The Russia-Laos Intergovernmental Commission has been meeting in Moscow, with important agreements on expanding trade, and nuclear power deals being signed. Bilateral trade, while small, nearly doubled last year.
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