The Port of Houston Authority hosted the U.S. Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business Council (US-ASEAN) and two U.S. ambassadors, the Hon. Craig Allen (ambassador to Brunei) and the Hon. Ted Osius (ambassador to Vietnam) Oct. 4. The focus of the tour was for the U.S. ambassadors to speak and meet with various cities and communities about the importance of the US-ASEAN delegation and identify potential Asia-U.S. trade opportunities.

PHA Chief Legal Officer Erik Eriksson provided background and an overview of the Port Authority, the Port of Houston complex and the Houston Ship Channel, while Senior Director of Trade Development, John Moseley, provided a presentation about the port region’s commercial impacts. Houston has the largest petrochemical complex in the United States and the region leads in exports.

Topics discussed included port tariffs, investments and operational matters. The US-ASEAN Business Council is an advocacy organization for U.S. businesses operating within the dynamic Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which serves as the leading voice of the U.S. private sector in promoting mutually beneficial trade and investment relationships between the United States and Southeast Asia.