The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) has introduced a new cooperation program aimed at fostering collaboration between the competition authorities of ASEAN and BRICS member states. The initiative was officially endorsed following the 34th Meeting of the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition, which included participation from FAS Deputy Head Andrey Tsyganov.
In a conversation with Lay Sopheap Vichyni, Chair of the ASEAN Expert Group on Competition, Tsyganov emphasized the significance of the program in light of growing ASEAN interest in the BRICS alliance. In 2024, Thailand and Malaysia gained BRICS partner status, and Indonesia officially joined BRICS as a full member in 2025.
The new program outlines plans for joint research into market competition challenges, studies of anticompetitive practices and transactions, and efforts to strengthen academic ties in the field of competition policy.
Tsyganov invited ASEAN competition agencies to collaborate with BRICS Working Groups on studies concerning socially significant markets. He pointed out that for developing economies in the ASEAN region, particular attention should be given to antitrust regulation in agriculture and ensuring access to biosimilar medicines.
The parties also agreed to deepen cooperation on reviewing anticompetitive practices by multinational corporations and assessing global mergers. Tsyganov revealed that BRICS countries are preparing to launch a “merger radar” — a tool designed to track merger transactions across jurisdictions — which could potentially be expanded to include ASEAN countries.
To conclude the dialogue, Tsyganov extended invitations to ASEAN colleagues to take part in the upcoming meeting of the BRICS Working Group for the Research of Competition Issues in Digital Markets (April 23, 2025), the BRICS International Competition Conference in South Africa (September 2025), and the International Anti-Cartel Forum in Moscow (November 2025).
Source: FAS
