Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated and delivered Keynote Address at the 2026 DEFA Foresight and Strategic Cooperation Pre-Summit Forumin Hong Kong, China, where he outlined ASEAN’s vision for regional integration and opportunities for deeper economic cooperation. SG Dr. Kao highlighted the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) as a major milestone in the region’s digital transformation, noting that its effective implementation could help expand the region’s digital economy to as much as USD 2 trillion by 2030. He also identified potential areas for closer cooperation between ASEAN and Hong Kong, China, including digital trade, fintech and digital payments, trusted cross-border data flows, online safety and cybersecurity, and emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Download SG’s Keynote Address here.
