AMCHAM Myanmar is the logistical host for this event and the event is open for all members of AMCHAMs of the Asia Pacific (AAP). This AAP series is designed to give the member of the AmChams of Asia Pacific direct access to the decision and policy makers and thought leaders on what is happening in Washington, DC, as well as to give the members the opportunity to give their first-hand perspective on what is happening in the region. The event is for AMCHAMs of the Asia Pacific (AAP) members only. Pre-registration is required and all discussion is under Chatham House Rule, and off-the-record. * Please note this event is run by AmCham Myanmar. * Capacity is limited and tickets are on a first-come-first-serve basis. * Prior booking is required and no walk ins accepted. * Tickets are non-transferable. To RSVP, contact your respective Chamber
The next virtual door knock will be on the increasing restrictions of US outbound investment for China – what businesses in the region need to know on what is happening, what could happen and how this may impact the region. Ryan Hass, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute, and Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates, who served as the Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the National Security Council (2013-2017), will once again provide his insights to the AAP for this virtual door knock. He will be joined by Christine Daya, Partner at DLA Piper. Her cross-border investment representations are focused on national security reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Most recently, she has been closely monitoring and publishing on anticipated legislative and executive action involving outbound investment restrictions and advising clients on how such action might impact their operations overseas. Click here to register
AAP VDK3 with US Chamber
The AmChams of Asia Pacific, an umbrella group of over 25 AmChams around the region, will hold its 2022 Business Summit in Vietnam from May 19-21. The summit is an annual event offering a valuable opportunity to discuss the main issues facing American business in the region along with in-depth examination of specific industry issues of critical importance to AmCham members. The Summit features a full-day conference in Hanoi – featuring keynote remarks from senior government officials and panel discussions with private sector executives and industry-focused thought leaders on shifting from pandemic to endemic, regional economic recovery, and the United States’ Asia engagement and its implications for American business – before the group moves down to Hue for cultural and networking activities. All AmCham members are invited to participate. Click HERE for more information.
March 5, 2019 – Hong Kong — The Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) concluded its 2019 Spring Business Summit, a two-day gathering of key American business leaders, diplomats, and American Chamber representatives from across the region. Critical conclusions reached at this year’s summit underscore both the historic and current impact of American investment in the Asia-Pacific region, and the urgent need for increased engagement by companies and American Chambers to address the shifting and uncertain global trade landscape. Specifically, a successful and timely resolution of the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute should create stronger confidence by U.S. companies to deepen their investments and take further advantage of opportunities in this dynamic region. Also, the summit further highlighted, now more than ever before, the need for AmChams to play a vital role in facilitating a broad public discourse on the benefits of global trade and the need for American business to drive this growth. Indeed, AmChams are at the forefront at leading this change. The impact of American business leadership in Asia has a proven track record of advancing innovation, sustainable growth, and social development. APCAC looks forward to the important work ahead and next year’s Spring Business Summit, which will be held in Singapore in March 2020. 2019 Policy Report APCAC Brochure-2019
SINGAPORE: The AmChams of Asia Pacific, the umbrella organization of 27 American Chambers of Commerce that promotes trade and investment between the Asia Pacific region and the United States, elected Steven Okun as Chair. “AAP serves as the ‘boots on the ground’ for Americans doing business in the region. US government officials look to us to have a fuller understanding of what’s happening and how best to position the US to advance its national interest. As Chair, I will help leverage that opportunity,” said Steven Okun. The 2022 agenda includes the annual meeting hosted by AmCham Hanoi in May, a door knock to Washington, DC in July and advocacy efforts throughout the year. Steven Okun is Senior Advisor for McLarty Associates and CEO of APAC Advisors, an ESG consultancy focused on private capital. Living in Singapore since 2003, he led Public Affairs in Asia for both KKR and UPS and served as Deputy General Counsel at the US Department of Transportation in the Clinton Administration. George Drysdale and Shiumei Lin were nominated and approved as Vice Chairs. George Marsman Drysdale is Chairman and CEO of the Marsman Drysdale Group, a diversified Philippine-based company with interests in agribusiness, tourism, and medical products. He is an investor in the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Shiumei Lin serves as UPS’ Vice President for Public Affairs & Sustainability in Asia Pacific. She previously served as a Trade Counsellor for Singapore’s Ministry of Trade & Industry and is a board member of Green Freight Asia and President, Conference for Asia Pacific Express Carriers. AAP’s year-long effort starts with a joint session with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Melissa Brown and US APEC Senior Official Matt Murray, and a second with Ryan Hass, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute and Senior Director for China at the National Security Council under the Obama Administration.
Decisions that are critical to the global economy, including tax, trade, spending and national security issues, are made every day in Washington by the White House and the Congress. Each summer, the AmChams in the region take a group of members to Washington to meet top US government officials to engage in a dialog on issues affecting US trade and commerce in the Asia-Pacific area. This is a critical time for US engagement in Asia, as well as a period requiring vigilance on US policies affecting overseas Americans and business operations, including taxation policy, FATCA implementation and more. This year’s “Washington Doorknock” takes place from July 19-22 and offers a unique opportunity to provide your input, ideas and recommendations concerning how policies made in Washington have an impact on the company or organization that you represent.
[8 February 2022] AMCHAM Malaysia released the findings of its 2020/21 Economic Impact Survey. The survey found that the 80 companies that participated, making up almost 30% of AMCHAM’s membership, have invested, in historical FDI, a total value of RM165.73 billion into the Malaysian economy. Chairman of AMCHAM Malaysia, Antony Lee, expressed that the survey highlights the commitment of American businesses to helping create a thriving business environment that creates jobs and opportunities for Malaysians. “AMCHAM members continue to play a critical role in Malaysia’s growing success locally and on the global stage; this commitment has integrated many local companies into American supply chains around the world, supporting a strategy of developing ‘local for global’,” Lee said. For more insights from the report, head here To view photos from the event, head here
Shiumei Lin, Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainability, UPS Asia Pacific Region Shiumei Lin is Vice President for Public Affairs responsible for policy advocacy, issues management, public-sector collaboration, and sustainability in China, North Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Shiumei is currently Chair of the Customs & Trade Facilitation Committee of the US ASEAN Business Council. She also serves on the boards of Green Freight Asia and Conference of the Asia Pacific Express Carriers (CAPEC). Shiumei is a trade and public policy practitioner with more than 20 years of experience. Prior to joining UPS in 2010, Ms. Lin worked at the Ministry of Trade & Industry and was a member of the APEC policy team during Singapore’s Chairmanship in 2009. She spent more than ten years working on US-Vietnam relations coordinating efforts to gain support for economic normalization in Washington, DC, while facilitating government to government understanding, and assisting US companies on the ground. While living in Hanoi in the late nineties, Ms. Lin designed technical assistance programs for Vietnamese ministries, and advised on issues relating to the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement and Vietnam’s WTO accession. She is a graduate of the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University (Master of Arts) and the University of Colorado, Boulder (Bachelor of Arts).
George M. Drysdale, Chairman & CEO, Marsman Drysdale Group George Marsman Drysdale is Chairman and CEO of the Marsman Drysdale Group, a diversified Philippine-based holding and management company with interests in the agribusiness, tourism and medical products. The Group’s current operating interests primarily include tropical fruit (banana and mango) for export throughout Asia and the Middle East, medical equipment distribution, and corporate travel and tour services. Mr. Drysdale also makes direct private equity investments in high growth communications, media and consumer beverage companies in the Philippines and in the United States. Since 1994, Mr. Drysdale has been an investor in the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Prior to joining the Marsman Drysdale Group in 1991, Mr. Drysdale was a venture capitalist, first as General Partner of Hambrecht & Quist Venture Partners of San Francisco (1983-1988), and then as a managing General Partner of Westar Capital, a management buyout firm. From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Drysdale practiced corporate, securities, and tax law for Davis, Polk & Wardwell, a Wall Street law firm. Mr. Drysdale was born in Manila, Philippines and raised in California and the Philippines. He received a B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA) in 1976 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1980. Mr. Drysdale was awarded a White House Fellowship in 1987 and served as Special Assistant to Secretary of Agriculture Richard Lyng. Mr. Drysdale served three terms as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and three terms as the Chairman of the twenty-six member chambers of the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC). Mr. Drysdale splits his time between Manila, Philippines and Hillsborough, California. He has five children: Catherine, Jennifer, George, Caroline, and Jack. In his spare time, George enjoys golf, tennis and coaching his children’s sports teams.