Moores Rowland APAC and International Practice Group’s 2025 Conference

At the Moores Rowland APAC and International Practice Group’s 2025 Conference, APAC Advisors CEO Steven Okun spoke about how geopolitics is no longer a backdrop to business, it’s the main event.

Every trade deal today is a test of leverage. The U.S. is negotiating one-on-one, not through alliances - and every country is learning how to play in a world where market access depends on power, not predictability.

Across the region, investors are spreading their bets. 

Pan-Asia strategies are gaining ground as capital flows into digital infrastructure, industrial resilience, healthcare, and clean energy. Companies are learning that market access now depends as much on compliance as on competitiveness.

Diversification is no longer optional; it’s survival. The winners will be those who can navigate both Washington’s enforcement playbook and Beijing’s industrial push, while still building businesses that make sense for Asia, by Asia.