USAID Announces More Than $440 Million for the Indo-Pacific

USAID has dedicated an additional $441 million to expand partnerships with governments, civil society, and the private sector in countries in the Indo-Pacific region in support of activities in energy, infrastructure, digital connectivity, trade, and other economic activities.
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Chairman Welcomes USASCP Activities at 7th ASEAN-U.S. Summit

Chairman's Statement: "We welcomed the activities under the U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership initiative, including the U.S.-ASEAN Symposium on 9-10 July 2019 in Washington, DC. We looked forward to the planned activities under the USASCP, including workshops, sharing of best practices, development of pilot projects, private sector engagements, among others, in support of smart city development in the…

U.S. and Japan Announce Joint Development Plans with ASCN

The United States and Japan are working together to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Under the Japan-U.S. Strategic Digital Economy Partnership (JUSDEP), we are committed to realizing a global digital economy environment that is open, interoperable, reliable, and secure. This enabling environment is essential to the development of smart cities in…

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.
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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…

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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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