Indo-Pacific Business Forum Showcases U.S. Commitment

The Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok promoted the value of high-standard investment, transparency, rule of law, and private-sector-led economic development. Since July 2018, the Department of Commerce has assisted more than 9,000 U.S. companies to do business in the Indo-Pacific region and facilitated more than $7.65 billion in U.S. exports.

OPIC, DFAT and JBIC Launch Blue Dot Network

The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) today unveiled Blue Dot Network—a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together governments, the private sector, and civil society to promote high-quality, trusted standards for global infrastructure development in an open and inclusive framework. Read Full…

A Pilot City of ASEAN Smart Cities Network: Jakarta

When quizzed about "Jakarta Smart City" (JSC), some people were quick to say that it was synonymous with technology. "Technology, internet, sophisticated, all matters will be completely simple and fast," a person stated. Read Full Article From Antara News Agency

Jefferson Science Fellow Lectures on Smart Cities and Technology

Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF) Dr. Elizabeth Smela presented a lecture, "Smart Cities and Their Technologies: An introduction to smart cities and the technologies needed to implement them," to department employees and guests. Held at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, Dr. Smela's lecture explained some of the key technologies that need to be employed in order to…

ASEAN’s Smart Cities Need Smart Parking

Boston Consulting Group's 2017 report titled, "Unlocking Cities," revealed that Vietnamese spend the most time looking for parking spaces. It took city dwellers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh an average of 45 minutes and 31 minutes, respectively, to find a parking space for their cars. The study also found that Filipinos and Thais spend…

Who Will Pay for ASEAN’s Smart Cities?

At the ASEAN Smart Cities Network Roundtable Meeting in Bangkok in June, Thailand's Digital Economy and Society Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj called for more public-private partnerships and said his country plans to attract non-ASEAN countries for partnerships and investments in smart city infrastructure as part of the ASCN. Among the countries mentioned were Japan, South Korea and China – all…

USASCP Holds Listening Session at ASCN Annual Conference

The USASCP invited officials from the 26 ASCN pilot cities to speak about their smart city work and needs. The event was held at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprason Hotel on the afternoon of August 21, the day before the opening of the ASCN Annual Meeting and ASCN Conference & Exhibition held at the nearby GMM Live…

Southeast Asia open to Huawei over 5G

Southeast Asian countries eyeing the promise of 5G connectivity to boost economic development are sticking to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei among others.  "It becomes necessary for Southeast Asian countries to explore the possibilities offered by 5G for the next generation," said Farlina Said, noting 5G can be conducive for ASEAN to build the Smart Cities Network,…

USASCP Investing $10 Million in the Innovative

Smart cities using data-driven technology to innovate and manage city resources are a key to sustainable development in both the United States and ASEAN. The inaugural USASCP event was held in Washington, D.C. in July with representatives of the 26 pilot cities in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network exchanging views with public and private sector smart city…

ASEAN and Korean Youth Cooperate on Smart Cities

More efficient waste and traffic management systems are among the best practices that ASEAN can adopt from Korea. The two areas were among the fields in which policy recommendations were proposed at the recently concluded 2019 ASEAN-Korea Youth Network Workshop which gathered 80 university students from 13 countries for 10 days of lectures, site visits, cultural exchange…

Enhancing the Readiness of ASEAN Smart Cities

ERIA, in collaboration with Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Srinidhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), and Chiang Mai Municipality, organized a two-day workshop on ‘Realising Smart Cities’ on 23 and 24 July in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The workshop examined how cities can develop smart city programmes including the costs versus benefits. Read Full ERIA Article

USASCP Hosts U.S. Study Tour for ASCN

Thirty officials from each of cities in the ASEAN Smart City Network (ASCN) visited the United States to participate in a series of smart city related events. Participants learned about global best practices, met with U.S. government and private sector experts, and visited U.S. cities that have successfully implemented smart city solutions. Data gathered during…