KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is one of the two nations that have seen the largest increase in diplomatic influence, said the Lowly Institute 2024 Key Findings Report.
The report’s 2024 edition of the Asia Power Index noted Malaysia recorded 9.1 points increase behind the Philippines which has an increase of 12.1 points.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also been far more active internationally.
“Both (Malaysia and the Philippines) are led by new and diplomatically active leaders,” the report read.
“Together with his foreign ministers, Anwar held 72 bilateral meetings with Index countries, elevating Malaysia from 11th to 5th place in this indicator of diplomatic activity,” it added.
Malaysia’s rank for regional leadership rose by two places to 12th, and global leadership by one rank to 15, the report said.
The annual Asia Power Index launched by the Lowy Institute in 2018 measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states in Asia. The project maps out the existing distribution of power as it stands today, and tracks shifts in the balance of power over time.
The Index ranks 27 countries and territories in terms of their capacity to shape their external environment - its scope reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
The 2024 edition is the most comprehensive assessment of the changing distribution of power in Asia to date. It includes Timor-Leste for the first time, reflecting its growing importance as a result of likely accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in future years.
The Lowy Institute Asia Power Index consists of eight measures of power, 30 thematic sub-measures and 131 indicators. Over half of these indicators involve original Lowy Institute research, while the rest are drawn from hundreds of publicly available national and international sources.
