Malaysia and ASEAN Broaden Geopolitical and Economic Scope
On February 17, at the China Conference Southeast Asia 2025, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed Malaysia’s standing amidst intensifying global trade wars. “We remain non-aligned and will not be drawn into great power rivalries. We reject economic coercion and unilateral actions that undermine regional stability,” he said. Just a week prior, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Malaysia and addressed shared global issues, reiterating the positions of “Middle Power” states like Turkey and Malaysia and benefits of multilateral approaches.
Today’s geopolitical critical juncture, exacerbated by potential U.S. global tariffs, can be answered through a collaborative approach, as is the ASEAN way. This includes increasing the competitiveness and reducing non-tariff barriers through existing regional frameworks like the ASEAN Single Window, ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), and Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA); increasing bilateral engagement with diversified key partners like the United States, European Union and Asia Pacific economies; as well as expanding multilateral relations.
Similarly, PM Anwar emphasize that not just Malaysia, but ASEAN as a whole, must expandtheir diplomacy and commerce beyond “traditional” partners, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), BRICS (as a partner country), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the pursuit of new trade agreements.
