USCIB Advances US Priorities at APEC SOM3 in South Korea
USCIB’s Natalie Bidner-Swehla and Cheryl Miller at APEC SOM3.
USCIB participated in the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM3), driving forward US business interests in agriculture, customs and trade facilitation, and digital policy.
USCIB’s Cheryl Miller, VP of Digital Policy, Megan Giblin, Senior Director of Customs and Trade Facilitation, and Natalie Bidner-Swehla, Director of International Agriculture Policy, were on site in Incheon, South Korea, for respective meetings from July 26 – August 11.
Miller attended the inaugural APEC Digital Ministerial Meeting (DMM)—a landmark event for the region’s digital future. The DMM focused on advancing inclusive digital infrastructure, strengthening digital skills across populations, and supporting interoperability of technology standards across borders.
While at APEC, the Trump Administration publicly unveiled its new AI Action Plan for the first time at the DMM, marking a pivotal moment in global digital policy. The US delegation was notably high level, signaling a renewed commitment to international leadership on artificial intelligence, digital governance, and cross-border tech collaboration. The administration also discussed their prioritized focus on exporting US tech needed to build out the future of AI.
Miller’s participation helped amplify US business perspectives on responsible innovation and digital inclusion, reinforcing USCIB’s role in shaping a digitally connected and equitable Asia-Pacific economy.
Megan Giblin (USCIB) in the group “family” photo for the APEC Subcommittee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) Workshop on Cross-Border E-Commerce.
Giblin played a central role in APEC’s customs and trade facilitation discussions. She moderated and was a speaker on a panel of the Rules of Origin event for the Market Access Group (MAG), participated in the APEC Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity (A2C2) and engaged in the APEC Customs Business Dialogue (ACBD). USCIB’s contributions help to advance member priorities (e.g., confidential business information and protections, implementation of the Harmonized System Nomenclature or the international language of trade) in the APEC forum, and shape regional strategies to streamline customs procedures, enhance supply chain resilience, and promote transparency in customs processes and procedures.
Bidner-Swehla represented US business interests at three key APEC food and agriculture fora — the Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG), the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB), and the Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS). In line with APEC’s Food Security Roadmap Towards 2030, she emphasized the role of the private sector in driving innovation, digitalization, and trade to build sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agri-food systems. Her interventions advanced US priorities on science-based policy, precision agriculture, rural revitalization, and reducing food loss and waste.
The 2025 APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting Joint Statement underscored these priorities, reaffirming the importance of engaging the private sector and promoting public–private partnerships to strengthen food security across the region. Through her engagement at SOM3, Bidner-Swehla strengthened USCIB’s relationships with governments in the Asia-Pacific and spotlighted the US private sector’s expertise in shaping the future of sustainable agriculture.
USCIB next plans to attend the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea October 28-31.