Asia Policy & Government Advisory Whitepaper: Policy in the driving seat

Asia remains one of the world’s most dynamic growth regions—but the forces shaping business outcomes are changing. Across the region, public policy is playing a more visible and consequential role in determining where companies invest, how they operate, and how they manage risk.

This is not about a single regulatory shock or emerging policy issue. Instead, businesses are operating in a more policy-driven economic cycle, shaped by tighter fiscal constraints, shifting trade rules, industrial policy, rapid technological change, and an increasingly complex global backdrop. Economic risk and opportunity are now more tightly bound to government decisions than at any point in recent decades.

For international businesses, this has raised the stakes for Government Affairs. Policy engagement is no longer just about managing compliance or mitigating risk—it increasingly shapes strategic decisions around investment, competitiveness, market access, and long-term positioning.

This report draws on new survey evidence from senior Government Affairs leaders across Asia, combined with Oxford Economics’ macroeconomic analysis. It explores how a layered and overlapping policy agenda is reshaping the role of Government Affairs—and why economic insight has become central to effective engagement with policymakers and internal decision-makers alike.