The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is gradually demonstrating its contribution to strengthening the digital resilience of the Southeast Asia region through various cooperation initiatives with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Although in its early stages, the digital dialogue between the EAEU and ASEAN has created space for knowledge transfer, policy harmonization, and the development of an inclusive digital ecosystem. This paper will outline the EAEU’s contributing role to Southeast Asia’s digital resilience through three key dimensions: first, institutional cooperation frameworks and strategic commitments; second, knowledge transfer and best practices in digital governance; and third, facilitating digital connectivity and e-commerce across the region.
Institutional Cooperation Framework and Strategic Commitment
The primary foundation of the EAEU’s contribution to Southeast Asia’s digital resilience lies in the systematic strengthening of institutional cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2018 between the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and ASEAN laid the initial foundation for dialogue and collaboration across various sectors, including digitalization. This commitment continues to be reinforced through long-term strategic planning, as evidenced by the launch of a series of sectoral seminars on energy, agriculture, customs regulation, intellectual property, e-commerce, competition policy, and transportation through 2025. The EAEU and ASEAN, as two regions with diverse economies and strong integration agendas, face similar challenges in digital transformation, including infrastructure gaps, regulatory fragmentation, and resource constraints, making interregional learning invaluable.
It is understood that the EAEU’s efforts to strengthen relations with ASEAN were reflected in the high-level meeting between the leaders of ASEAN and Russia, a key member of the EAEU, at the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit in 2026. During the meeting, the leaders agreed to promote connectivity between ASEAN and the EAEU, trade facilitation, customs cooperation, a single window mechanism, e-commerce, and business-to-business connectivity. This is certainly in line with the recognition that the vast Eurasian region, which encompasses 3.4 billion people and accounts for about 25% of global GDP and over 15% of international trade, has great potential as a center for strategic development and connectivity.
Knowledge Transfer and Best Practices in Digital Governance
The EAEU’s most tangible contribution to Southeast Asia’s digital resilience is through its knowledge transfer and best practice sharing mechanisms. A series of high-level policy dialogues and roundtables facilitated by ESCAP from 2024 to 2026 provided a platform for policymakers and practitioners from both regions to exchange experiences. The Roundtable on Strengthening Regional Cooperation in Digital Transformation for Economic and Sustainable Development in ASEAN and the EAEU, held in Bangkok in July 2025, served as a key forum where delegates from EAEU countries such as Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan shared experiences in digital infrastructure development, artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, digital identity systems, and public service modernization. Special sessions at the meeting addressed best practices across various economic sectors, including trade, e-commerce, transport connectivity, supply chains, and cybersecurity. Regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) and the EAEU Digital Union initiative were key topics of discussion, alongside national-level progress in broadband expansion, digital identity, AI adoption, and public sector modernization. The forum also openly acknowledged ongoing challenges, such as the digital divide, regulatory fragmentation, and infrastructure gaps.
Cooperation in the field of consumer protection is one concrete area of knowledge transfer. Vladimir Sinkevich, Director of the Department of Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Measures of the Eurasian Economic Commission, emphasized the EAEU’s readiness to share accumulated experience, discuss initiatives, and create new interaction mechanisms to address common challenges in protecting consumer interests in the EAEU and ASEAN regions, particularly in the context of the digitalization of trade and services. A sectoral seminar scheduled for September 2026 will serve as a platform for exchanging experiences and best practices in addressing unfair practices and creating efficient dispute resolution mechanisms in the digital era.
The third dimension of the EAEU’s contributory role is facilitating digital connectivity and e-commerce, which are the backbone of the economy’s digital resilience. At the EAEU-ASEAN Business Dialogue held at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2025, Eldar Alisherov, Minister of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission, emphasized the importance of businesses in the EAEU and ASEAN countries more actively exploiting digitalization opportunities and creating information platforms that enable potential partners to find each other, conduct business missions, and explore new cooperation formats. Previously, ASEAN and Russian leaders agreed on the need for greater support for companies from both sides to integrate more deeply into regional and interregional supply chains, as well as increased investment in manufacturing, logistics, and cross-border trade infrastructure between the countries.
The EAEU has been pushing for the harmonization of technical and digital regulations that can facilitate interoperability of systems between countries. The agreement to promote a single-door mechanism and e-commerce demonstrates a commitment to creating an interconnected ecosystem and reducing technical barriers that often act as major impediments to cross-border digital trade. This is crucial for digital resilience, given the efforts to create an interconnected ecosystem and reduce technical barriers. ASEAN itself is currently targeting the expansion of the region’s digital economy to US$2 trillion by 2030 through the implementation of DEFA, and cooperation with the EAEU is expected to continue supporting the achievement of this target.
Challenges and Future Prospects
While the EAEU’s contribution to the region has been demonstrated, it is important to acknowledge that the digitalization of EAEU-ASEAN cooperation is still in its early stages. Digital infrastructure gaps, regulatory fragmentation, and low interoperability of national information systems in Southeast Asia remain significant obstacles. The ongoing cooperation program from 2020 to 2025 covers areas such as customs regulation, trade policy, business activities, technical and antitrust regulation, SPS measures, energy, and internal market functions. However, implementation in the digital sector still requires further strengthening. However, ongoing dialogue forums and plans to deepen cooperation demonstrate a commitment to gradually addressing these obstacles. Going forward, the EAEU and ASEAN may consider establishing a separate, intensive dialogue mechanism with a strong business component, given that businesses are the primary beneficiaries of trade and economic cooperation.
The EAEU has demonstrated an increasingly important contributory role to Southeast Asia’s digital resilience through three main channels: strengthening institutional cooperation frameworks and strategic commitments, transferring knowledge and best practices on digital governance, and facilitating digital connectivity and e-commerce across the region. While still in its early stages, dialogue and collaboration between the EAEU and ASEAN have laid the foundation for the development of a more inclusive and resilient digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia. The long-term success of this contribution will depend largely on the ability of both regions to address internal digital divides, harmonize technical standards, and deliver on strategic commitments formulated in various policy fora. It is concluded that, by continuing to deepen digital cooperation, the EAEU can become an increasingly important partner in strengthening Southeast Asia’s digital resilience amidst changing global geopolitical and geoeconomic dynamics.
Hendra Manurung is currently Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Department of Defence Diplomacy, Faculty of Defence Strategy, Republic of Indonesia Defence University
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