PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed his belief in Asean’s enduring strength.
For nearly six decades, he said, Asean has weathered wars, crises, and coups.
“At times like these, there’s a temptation to retreat into nostalgia or fatalism — to assume the international order is beyond repair, or that regional cooperation is too slow to matter.
“Yet Asean has continued to inch forward — often frustratingly so, but forward nonetheless,” said the prime minister at the Asean Investment Conference today.
With a wave of tariffs sweeping the globe at a fast and furious pace, Anwar observed the unraveling of the global order.
In light of this, he stressed, Asean must place greater reliance on itself.
“This means strengthening intra-Asean trade. We must move beyond rhetoric and towards execution.
“While tariff liberalisation within the region is largely complete, regulatory alignment, cross-border logistics, and digital connectivity remain unfinished business.”
He added that Asean must also protect and expand its external linkages.
“Our dialogue and sectoral partners span six continents — few regional blocs can boast such a network.
“As chair this year, Malaysia will prioritise revitalising strategic platforms such as Asean Plus Three, as mechanisms to bolster economic resilience.”
During this week’s Asean Finance Track, Anwar said one would hear of various efforts to strengthen the region’s economic cooperation.
He cited few instances including expanding Asean payment connectivity.
“We currently enjoy digital payment connectivity between Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
“Later today, we launch extending the payment linkage to between Malaysia and Cambodia, with the ambition to cover the other nations in Asean.
“This will help promote intra-Asean trade and tourism,“ said the prime minister.
Anwar also said more efforts should be made to promote greater economic integration to enable businesses to better leverage on Asean as a market.
He added that Asean should further grow regional champions in sectors including financial services, energy, healthcare tourism, telecommunications and logistics.
“The Trump tariffs are not the first challenge to multilateralism, nor will they be the last.
“But if Asean can hold its nerve – staying open, pragmatic and cohesive – it may yet be among the last believers in a world that works better when it works together.”
