Stakeholder Debrief Report – 15^th ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA) Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) meeting

September 1-5, 2025 (Bangkok, Thailand)

Thailand hosted the 15^th Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) and Related Meetings of the ASEAN - Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA) negotiations in Bangkok, Thailand from Sep 1^{st –} 5^th 2025.

The following six negotiating tables met alongside the TNC: Cross-Border Trade in Services, Investment, Financial Services, Trade in Goods, Good Regulatory Practices, and Legal and Institutional Issues.

The 15^th ACAFTA TNC was co-led by Canada’s Chief Negotiator (CN) and TNC Co-Chair, Mary-Catherine Speirs, Director General, Trade Negotiations Bureau (Global Affairs Canada), and ASEAN’s TNC Co-Chair, Nugraheni Prasetya Hastuti, Director General, International Trade (Ministry of Commerce of the Republic of Indonesia).

Reports from the following 15 Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) were presented to the TNC:

1. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
2. Competition
3. Government Procurement
4. Economic and Technical Cooperation
5. Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
6. E-Commerce
7. Telecommunication
8. Intellectual Property
9. Trade Remedies
10. Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation
11. Investment
12. Financial Services
13. Trade in Services
14. Legal and Institutional Issues
15. Trade in Goods
16. Rules of Origin
17. Good Regulatory Practices

Key takeaways from the 15th TNC

• Canada and ASEAN confirmed their intention to seek ASEAN Economic Ministers’ support to extend the deadline to conclude negotiations within the next year (2026) and reiterated their shared position that this extension would be final.
• The TNC reviewed the timeline to conclusion, adjusting the sequencing for chapters expected to conclude based on progress and signaled a shared commitment to conclude negotiations within the next year (2026).
• The TNC noted measurable progress across the negotiations despite some setbacks in some areas.
• The 16th ACAFTA TNC Meeting will take place in Manila, Philippines from November 17-21, 2025. (Note: later agreed to be November 24-28, 2025)

Key developments from the Subsidiary Bodies

The 15th TNC marked the conclusion of two additional chapters, Good Regulatory Practices and Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation during the round, as well as the substantial conclusion of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises chapter and the full conclusion of the Competition chapter prior to the round. The meeting highlighted the increased negotiating momentum in 2025, with several Subsidiary Bodies like Rules of Origin (specifically in reference to the Rules of Origin section of the chapter text), Economic and Technical Cooperation, Government Procurement, Telecommunication and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures aiming to finalize their work over the next two TNC meetings scheduled for November and February.

The round represented significant progress in market access discussions. Trade in Goods advanced notably, following the successful exchange of initial market access offers in the previous month, allowing for effective discussions to take place during the round and a commitment to exchange tariff requests lists by October 2025. Trade in Services committed to exchanging its initial offers before the November round, while Financial Services agreed to do so by October 2025.

Investment achieved notable progress by resolving longstanding obstacles in the negotiations and identifying a clear path forward. This sets up Investment to make more consistent progress in upcoming rounds. Legal and Institutional Issues sought the TNC’s guidance to address some stagnant issues with the aim of moving the discussion forward in the upcoming rounds.

Intellectual Property advanced steadily, clearing several articles this round. E-Commerce also closed multiple articles. Significant work remains in Trade Remedies and in Origin Procedures (negotiated under the Rules of Origin working group), requiring flexibility and innovative solutions from both sides.