Insights

The sixth convening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on January 15-16, 2026, under the theme “ASEAN Adaptive: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence.” Senior government officials from across the 11 Southeast Asian nations that form the ASEAN bloc deliberated on key digital policy issues for the region’s economic growth, such as enhancing widespread AI adoption, combating online scams, promoting regional cyber resilience, and boosting digital infrastructure development.  These are aligned with the Philippines’ digital priorities as ASEAN’s Chair for 2026.

While it is unclear at this stage what exactly a second Trump administration means for U.S. digital, technology, and trade policy, one thing that is clear is that it will involve major changes, especially as it relates to the potential for high, broad tariffs. Media reports and commentary and recent personnel appointments give some early clues on what else a second Trump administration may do. It is an open question as to which Biden administration policies a second Trump administration keeps, revises, or scraps (like Biden administration executive orders on artificial intelligence) and which policies and strategies from the first Trump administration it revives or revises. It is also unclear the extent to which a second Trump administration will consider the interests of allies and close trading partners and whether the Trump administration will pursue its own vision for global technology governance at the G7 and other fora.