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The Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are not only deepening their economic integration, but are also aactively pursuing free trade agreements (FTAs) with their strategic economic partners (SEPs).

Despite these development, there are concerns over the extent to which micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have benefited from these commercial pacts. Numerous studies suggest that such trade agreements are rarely used by MSMEs in the region. This policy brief has two main goals: to identify key challenges and opportunities confronted by ASEAN-based MSMEs in taking advantage of ASEAN-led FTAs; and to provide practical and policy recommendations that could allow the greater use of these FTAs by these enterprises.