Stakeholder Debrief Report – 16^th ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA) Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) meeting

November 24-28, 2025 (Manila, Philippines)

Canada hosted the 16^th Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) and Related Meetings of the ASEAN - Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA) negotiations in Manila, Philippines, from November 24^{th –} 28^th, 2025.

The following six negotiating tables met alongside the TNC: Trade in Goods, Cross-Border Trade in Services, Investment, Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures, Technical Barriers to Trade, and Legal and Institutional Issues (Dispute Settlement).

The 16^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. Economic and Technical Cooperation
2. Trade Remedies
3. Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
4. Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures
5. Government Procurement
6. Trade and Sustainable Development
7. Electronic Commerce
8. Telecommunications
9. Financial Services
10. Intellectual Property
11. Technical Barriers to Trade
12. Trade in Goods
13. Trade in Services (Cross Border Trade in Services)
14. Investment
15. Legal and Institutional Issues (Dispute Settlement)

Key takeaways from the 16^th TNC

• Canada and ASEAN acknowledged the commitment of leaders and economic ministers to concluding ACAFTA negotiations as soon as possible in 2026.
• The TNC noted measurable progress across the negotiations, including the conclusion of three additional chapters (bringing the total to nine), progress in market access discussions for goods and services, and continued resolution of challenging issues.
• Canada hosted a stakeholder engagement event on the margins of the 16^th TNC, where Chief Negotiators welcomed presentations by Canada’s Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO), the Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC), and a representative from the business community.
• The 17th ACAFTA TNC Meeting will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, from February 9-13, 2026, with some groups meeting the weeks before and after.

Key developments from the Subsidiary Bodies

The 16th TNC marked the substantive conclusion of three additional chapters: Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Economic and Technical Cooperation, and Telecommunications. Several other chapters are expected to close at or before the next TNC meeting scheduled for February 2026.

The Trade in Goods Subsidiary Body recorded significant progress in text-based negotiations, as well as progress on market access, with bilateral meetings held to discuss request lists that were exchanged prior to the round. Similarly, the initial exchange of offers for Trade in Services ahead of the meeting enabled that table to engage effectively during the Manila round and achieve progress. At the Rules of Origin table, negotiators are making good progress toward closing the chapter text on rules of origin and unlocking a path forward on origin procedures. The table will begin negotiations on product-specific rules of origin in the new year.

The Legal and Institutional Subsidiary Body, which is responsible for negotiating several chapters, dedicated their week to the Dispute Settlement chapter, making good progress. Considerable progress was made by the Technical Barriers to Trade subsidiary body on the chapter text, which is nearing conclusion.

The Investment Subsidiary Body continued to make progress on some of the difficult issues in the chapter, paving the way for further progress in 2026. The Subsidiary Body on Intellectual Property continued to make steady progress with several more articles closed.

Progress at the Financial Services Subsidiary Body has slowed considerably; efforts are being made to ensure that the table can regain momentum and begin market access negotiations without delay. After a long period without meeting, the Subsidiary Body on Government Procurement reported its plan to meet before the end of the year to discuss the remaining issues.

The Subsidiary Body on Trade and Sustainable Development reported some progress while underlining persistent differences in approach to the chapter. The Subsidiary Body on Electronic Commerce reported that while recent negotiation sessions were constructive in certain areas, significant work remains to resolve some of the most difficult issues. A path forward on Trade Remedies was identified.