BIMP-EAGA ministers at the 28th Ministerial Meeting pose for a photo with local government officials, senior officials, and development partners. From left (top row): Suprapti Tri Astuti, head of Regional Planning Bureau, South Kalimantan Provincial Government, Indonesia; Assistant Deputy Minister for Regional Economic Cooperation Bobby Chriss Siagian, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Indonesia; Senior Special Duties Officer Norhayati Ismail, Ministry Of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam; Deputy Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry) Harris Ibrahim, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam; Consul General Agus Trenggono; Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (Davao City); Secretary General Dato' Nor Azmie bin Diron, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia; Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, chairman of Mindanao Development Authority, Philippines; Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB); Deputy Secretary General (Policy) Zunika Binti Mohamed, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia; Mohd Husni Mohamad Salleh, chairman of Labuan Corporation; Undersecretary Janet M. Lopoz, executive director of the Mindanao Development Authority, Philippines; and Governor Yshmael Mang I. Sali, Province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. From left (second row): Sonny Ameriansah Soekoer, head of Sub Regional Economic Cooperation Sub-Division, Office of the Assistant Deputy for Regional and Sub Regional Economic Cooperation, Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs (CMEA), Indonesia; Economic Officer Rokiah Kesut, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam; Kanchana Wanichkorn, Director for Sectoral Development, ASEAN Economic Community; Jasmine Syazwan Binti Abdul Rahman, Assistant Secretary II, BIMP-EAGA Facilitation Center; Assistant Secretary Romeo M. Montenegro, deputy executive director of Mindanao Development Authority, Philippines; Assistant Director Sumitra Jayaseelan, ASEAN Secretariat; Paarteeben A/L Subramaniam, Deputy Director II, Regional Development Division, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia; and Alfredo Perdiguero, Regional Head of the Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit, Southeast Asia Department, ADB.
BIMP-EAGA sustained its growth momentum despite global headwinds as it enters a new phase of development.
The recent 28th BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting took stock of progress in several areas of cooperation and discussed the next 10-year plan.
“We take great pride in the substantial progress and significant achievements realized under the BIMP-EAGA Vision 2025 (BEV 2025),” said the ministers in a joint statement. Since the long-term vision was adopted in 2017, BIMP-EAGA has grown into a $1.34 trillion economy (2024 GDP at PPP), accounting for 18.03% of the combined gross domestic product of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
The Philippines hosted this year’s meeting, which was held in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte, Mindanao on 14 November. Secretary Leo Tereso Magno of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chaired the meeting. The ministers who represented the other three member countries were Deputy Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry) Harris Ibrahim of Brunei Darussalam’s Ministry of Finance and Economy; Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Davao City, Agus Trenggono; and Secretary General Dato’ Nor Azmie bin Diron of Malaysia’s Ministry of Economy.
Resilient growth
The ministers said the tourism industry has shown resilience and continues to contribute to the subregion’s growth. Visitor arrivals increased by 50.6% to 6.01 million in 2024. Domestic investments totaled $11.2 billion in 2024, down by 5.88% from 2023 but higher than the annual average of $9.2 billion since 2017. The subregion recorded a trade balance of $60.28 billion in 2023.
Under BEV 2025, projects in the subregion built and rehabilitated 541 kilometers of roads, completed 145 km of railways, constructed two bridges, developed and upgraded 15 airports and 21 seaports, and established nine special economic zones in BIMP-EAGA economic corridors. As of 15 May, the rolling pipeline of priority infrastructure projects has almost quadrupled to 217 from 57 in 2017.
The ministers also provided strategic guidance to finalize the draft BIMP-EAGA Vision 2035 (BEV 2035) document, which will provide the direction for the subregion over the next decade. They look forward to its adoption during the BIMP-EAGA Special Summit in 2026 as well as the operationalization of the newly reconfigured, expanded, and interlinked BIMP-EAGA economic corridors, which were approved at the 16th BIMP-EAGA Summit in Kuala Lumpur last May. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), which serves as BIMP-EAGA’s regional development advisor, provided technical assistance in the drafting of BEV 2035 and in developing an integrated approach to developing economic corridors in the subregion.
Ongoing and proposed initiatives
The ministerial meeting was the culmination of week-long activities and meetings hosted by Davao City, Mindanao’s largest city and gateway to ASEAN markets and beyond. These included the 33rd Senior Officials’ Meeting, the 7th Chief Ministers, Governors, Local Government Forum (CMGLF), National Secretariats’ Meeting, an investment conference, media forum, and a trade and tourism fair.
The ministers commended the active participation of subnational governments through the recently revived CMGLF. They noted area-based cooperation initiatives, such as between Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam; Sarawak and Indonesia; and Lahad Datu, Sabah, and Tanjung Silopo of Sulawesi, which promote cross-border activities and advance the development of economic corridors in BIMP-EAGA.
They took note of advances in sector initiatives. In energy, the Renewable Energy Certificate System for BIMP-EAGA Countries Project, which was funded by the BIMP-EAGA Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (BKCF), was completed. It is expected to help scale up clean energy investments in the subregion.
In agriculture, the contract rice farming agreement between Wasan Milling Co. Sdn Bhd of Brunei Darussalam and the Municipality of Narra, Palawan in the Philippines promises to be “a scalable, investment-driven model that can empower local farmers and enhance regional trade.”
In transport, flights between Pontianak–Kuching and Bandar Seri Begawan–Balikpapan and the Kuching-Singkawang bus route were revived. A study on the economic viability of regular air and sea transport services between Mindanao and North Sulawesi will be conducted.
The ministers tasked the Digital Cluster (formerly the ICT cluster) and the Digital Alliance (formerly the ICT CEO Forum) to roll out targeted capacity-building programs on emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to promote digital collaboration and align with the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement.
Meanwhile, the BIMP-EAGA Business Council has proposed three projects—the BIMP-EAGA (BEC) Connect Card, BIMP-EAGA Cross-Border E-Wallet Integration, and the Sungai Tujuh E-Commerce Consolidation Hub at the border of Miri, Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam. These initiatives are expected to promote cross-border travel, trade, and investments within the subregion. The ministers reiterated their commitment to accelerate the growth of trade, investment, and tourism in the subregion.
“With our new vision ‘Socially inclusive, Open, Aligned and Resilient (S.O.A.R) BIMP-EAGA for Shared Economic Prosperity and Sustainability,’ we are committed to overcoming subregional challenges through aligned policies and enhanced resilience,” they said.