Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

by AKMAR ANNUAR & FARAH SOLHI

MALAYSIA welcomes China’s readiness to sign and ratify the Protocol to the Treaty on the South-East Asia Nuclear Weapon-free Zone (SEANWFZ), calling it a major step forward for regional peace and security.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan described the move as a “significant” demonstration of China’s leadership in nuclear disarmament, especially amid rising global scepticism towards the non-proliferation regime.

“This would mark a significant step forward, demonstrating China’s leadership and commitment to a nuclear-weapon-free South-East Asia (SE Asia),” he said at the ASEAN Post-ministerial Conference (PMC) with China in Kuala Lumpur today.

China would be the first recognised nuclear weapon state to sign the protocol without reservations, a longstanding goal for ASEAN since the SEANWFZ Treaty was adopted in 1995.

Mohamad also acknowledged that geopolitical fragility was becoming “more apparent by the day,” urging deeper commitment to mechanisms that preserve peace in SE Asia.

He reiterated Malaysia’s role as country coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, noting that sustained diplomatic engagement has helped the region maintain stability despite growing external pressures.

The post-ministerial conference is part of a wider series of ASEAN meetings taking place in Kuala Lumpur this week, involving foreign ministers and key partners such as Australia, India, Japan and the US.

China’s move on SEANWFZ is seen as a diplomatic counterweight to concerns over nuclear rhetoric and new security alignments in the Asia Pacific.

Mohamad also reaffirmed ASEAN’s call for wisdom and prudence in handling South China Sea disputes, warning against actions that could escalate tensions or threaten international trade routes.

“We must ensure that geopolitical tensions do not escalate or threaten to undermine security and global trade in the South China Sea,” he said.

ASEAN, he added, remains optimistic about finalising an “effective and substantive” Code of Conduct in the area with China’s full cooperation.

The post Malaysia lauds China’s move to ratify nuclear-free SE Asia protocol appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.

by HIDAYATH HISHAM

THE signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia (TAC) by Algeria and Uruguay on Wednesday opens the door to deeper engagement with ASEAN on both bilateral and multilateral levels.

Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ahmed Attaf said it is an honour for his country to join the TAC and become part of the community alongside ASEAN member states.

He noted that ASEAN is an organisation that had proven through its actions, outcomes and achievements — that regional cooperation could bring about significant change, strengthen stability and generate shared prosperity for all.

“By joining the TAC today, we wish to add a new dimension to this bilateral relationship, which includes an ASEAN that speaks collectively and is increasingly influential on the global stage.

“In this spirit, we also wish to deepen our engagement with ASEAN and become a mutually accepted bilateral partner. We humbly seek the continued support and recognition of all,” he said after the signing of the instruments of accession to the TAC.

Meanwhile, Uruguay’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Lubetkin said the TAC agreement is the beginning of a platform to comprehensively convey a message for transforming policy and action plans towards a more inclusive approach.

“We need to change how we think and how we work together. This symbolic signing is not merely a signature. That’s why I’m here, and I’m deeply honoured to be alongside the Malaysian foreign minister.

“Imagine what could happen if we cooperated more effectively. How could we harness this in the form of artificial intelligence (AI)? Because we have solid information — and this marks a key starting point for establishing stronger collaboration,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the signing by both countries — representing Africa and Latin America — reflected a shared intention to strengthen ties with ASEAN.

“So, the existence of this treaty is a mechanism that allows both countries to interact better with ASEAN, either on a multilateral or bilateral basis.

“We’ve had bilateral relations with Algeria for a long time. So, this is the basis for us to forge cooperation and friendship between ASEAN and both countries,” he added.

The post TAC opens door to deeper ties with ASEAN, say Algeria, Uruguay appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.

by AUFA MARDHIAH & AKMAR ANNUAR

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on ASEAN to prioritise practical cooperation in areas like food security, digital growth, education, healthcare and climate action.

“As global conditions remain uncertain, there is no overstressing the need to act with purpose in our own region – by advancing cooperation that delivers tangible benefits to our people,” he said, noting that the bloc’s relevance lies in delivering real improvements to people’s lives, not just issuing statements.

Anwar said ASEAN’s development agenda should prioritise everyday concerns faced by citizens.

He added that ASEAN must not operate as countries moving in parallel but as one purposeful community committed to shared progress.

“Our region can become more peaceful and more prosperous – if we have the courage to see ASEAN not as nations moving in parallel, but as one community moving with purpose,” he said.

Anwar concluded by reaffirming that ASEAN’s worth is measured not in communiqués, but in concrete outcomes that strengthen the region and improve lives.

The post People must be at heart of ASEAN plans insists Anwar appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.

by AKMAR ANNUAR & AUFA MARDHIAH

MALAYSIA’S Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (picture) has urged ASEAN to collectively rise to the demands of an increasingly volatile world, warning that climate risks, technological disruption and political polarisation now pose as serious a threat to regional stability as the Cold War did during ASEAN’s founding in 1967.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Kuala Lumpur this morning, Mohamad drew attention to the shifting global order, where geopolitical rivalries, protectionist impulses and distant wars are no longer remote, but directly impacting Southeast Asia’s economic security and food systems.

“These issues endanger us all, but especially those of us in the Global South. We, in ASEAN, must focus our efforts toward a future-proof Southeast Asia,” he said, setting the tone for a meeting framed around inclusivity, resilience, and strategic autonomy.

Mohamad noted that ASEAN was born during an era of nuclear brinkmanship and proxy wars, but its founding leaders chose the path of multilateralism and peacebuilding instead of alignment with major power blocs. 

That legacy, he said, must be reaffirmed and recalibrated to meet today’s “newer threats”.

Among these, he cited the intensifying rivalry between great powers, the fragility of supply chains, the distortion of global trade through rising protectionism, and the erosion of social cohesion within societies due to economic divides.

“To build a safer, more equitable future, we must keep our spirit of strategic autonomy and collective action alive,” he stressed.

Under Malaysia’s chairmanship, ASEAN’s agenda is being shaped by two overarching themes — inclusivity and sustainability — which Mohamad said are foundational to ASEAN’s long-term relevance.

He highlighted the recent signing of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future and the adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, a 20-year plan that envisions a resilient, innovative and people-centred regional bloc. 

Malaysia sees the declaration not as an aspirational document but a strategic roadmap to be implemented in phases, starting now.

“Our course shall be steered by ASEAN Centrality, allowing us to shape regional architecture on our terms,” he said.

In line with this strategic clarity, Mohamad announced that ASEAN would deepen engagement with its 11 Dialogue Partners during the upcoming Post-Ministerial Conferences, as well as at the ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summits. 

These interactions are designed to align economic cooperation with the building of strategic trust.

The region’s premier political-security forum, the ASEAN Regional Forum, will also convene with renewed commitment to preserving stability, he added.

Mohamad further revealed that ASEAN’s diplomatic influence continues to expand beyond Southeast Asia, with Algeria and Uruguay set to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation later today — an affirmation, he said, of ASEAN’s growing soft power and normative appeal.

Malaysia will also host the Fourth Cooperation Among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development this Friday, reinforcing ASEAN’s enduring solidarity with the Palestinian people, particularly amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

As the ceremony drew to a close, Mohamad reminded fellow ministers that ASEAN’s relevance lies in its willingness to evolve, not in nostalgia.

“ASEAN has never shied away from ambition. Our work carries the hopes and futures of the nearly 700 million souls we represent,” he said.

With the region’s unity and adaptability now under renewed pressure, Malaysia’s message at AMM2025 is clear: ASEAN must reassert its agency in shaping a more just and secure regional order — or risk being reshaped by forces far beyond its shores.

The post ASEAN must future-proof itself against rising global threats, foreign minister urges appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.

by AUFA MARDHIAH, AKMAR ANNUAR

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warned that trade is now being used as a tool in global power struggles and urged ASEAN to better coordinate its economic and foreign policies in response.

“Tariffs, export restrictions, and investment barriers have now become the sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry. This is no passing storm. It is the new weather of our time,” he said in his speech at the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Anwar urged ASEAN to face this new reality with “clarity and conviction”, and to strengthen its internal cohesion beyond declarations by integrating those priorities into institutions, strategies and decisions.

He called for a deliberate shift toward greater synergy between economic and diplomatic agendas, stating that ASEAN’s Foreign and Economic Ministers must “move in concert” to tackle rising external pressures.

“This imperative is fully aligned with ASEAN’s Vision 2045, which calls for greater synergy across pillars and sectors,” he added.

He further highlighted the need for greater regional economic self-reliance, describing a stronger and more connected ASEAN economy as essential for ensuring the bloc’s long-term relevance and resilience.

Nevertheless, Anwar made clear that ASEAN must reject the idea of great powers deciding the region’s fate on its behalf, asserting that Southeast Asia must chart its own course.

“ASEAN will not be spoken for in absentia,” he said.

The post ASEAN must align trade and diplomacy to weather geopolitical rivalry, says PM appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.