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by AUFA MARDHIAH & HIDAYATH HISHAM
THE 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings concluded in Kuala Lumpur (KL) with Malaysia earning recognition for steering one of the bloc’s most consequential gatherings in recent years and defined by renewed diplomacy, expanded membership and a stronger collective stance on sustainability.
Under Malaysia’s leadership, the summit reinforced ASEAN’s relevance as a stabilising force amid global uncertainty. The meetings brought together major powers, including the US and China, at a time when geopolitical rivalry and trade realignments continue to test regional unity.
Among the most significant achievements was the formal admission of Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11th member — the bloc’s first expansion in over two decades. The milestone reflected ASEAN’s commitment to inclusivity and integration, solidifying its identity as a region that values partnership and dialogue.
The summit also delivered progress in climate cooperation, with member states endorsing a new ASEAN Energy Transition Plan aimed at increasing the region’s renewable electricity share to 45%
by 2030. The initiative positioned ASEAN as an emerging player in global climate discussions, with Malaysia playing a key role in driving consensus on sustainable development.
Apart from that, Malaysia’s chairmanship also coincided with one of the most geopolitically charged periods in recent memory, as world leaders sought to re-engage the region.
The attendance of non-dialogue partners including the European Union (EU), Finland, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank highlighted ASEAN’s growing relevance as a convening platform for global diplomacy and economic cooperation.
Despite these achievements, analysts noted that ASEAN’s collective voice remained divided on certain issues.
The bloc made limited headway on the Myanmar crisis, where humanitarian concerns and political deadlock persisted. While regional discussions continued, the lack of a unified strategy underlined the enduring challenge of consensus-building within ASEAN’s framework.
In the economic sphere, protectionism and supply-chain volatility remained pressing concerns.
The signing of the upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA 3.0) alongside the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) reaffirmed China’s expanding economic footprint, while trade negotiations with the US and other partners remained cautious and fragmented.
Even so, Malaysia’s chairmanship was viewed as a diplomatic success, having balanced diverse interests while maintaining ASEAN’s principle of centrality.
Its leadership strengthened the bloc’s institutional confidence and restored momentum in key policy areas such as digitalisation, green growth and regional connectivity.
The year also reflected Malaysia’s broader Madani foreign policy approach, which emphasised inclusive development, climate responsibility and cooperation across the Global South.
These themes resonated throughout the summit, reinforcing ASEAN’s position as a pragmatic, forward-looking bloc.
Biggest Summit Shows Strength — and Asean’s Limits
Geopolitical analyst Prof Azmi Hassan said US President Donald Trump’s participation in the 47th ASEAN Summit reflected Washington’s effort to reassert its influence in the region amid China’s expanding economic footprint.
He explained that China has been ASEAN’s largest trading partner for the past 15 years and this dominance continues to shape the region’s priorities.
“That shows how important China is to ASEAN, which is one of the reasons why Trump came to the ASEAN Summit,” he told TMR.
Azmi further noted that Trump’s renewed engagement should not be seen as a revival of strategic competition, but as a continuation of longstanding tensions that began during his first term.
“The trade war between the US and China started under Trump’s first presidency and has persisted ever since,” he said, adding that the rivalry merely slowed under former President Joe Biden’s administration but never ceased.
Despite this, Azmi does not expect Trump’s visit to trigger any drastic shifts in ASEAN’s alignment.
He said Malaysia, as this year’s ASEAN chair, has upheld a clear stance of neutrality while maintaining constructive relations with both Washington and Beijing.
“We do not discard the US, and we do not side 100% with China. We need both superpowers not only for defence, but more importantly for the economy,” he said.
Azmi also pointed out that Malaysia’s policy has consistently been to “make friends with all”, citing previous occasions where KL chose engagement over confrontation.
This includes when Trump first introduced tariffs last August, where Malaysia advised the ASEAN bloc against opposing the US and instead encouraged engagement.
He further said stronger diplomatic or economic ties with Washington would not necessarily translate into better trade terms, pointing out that even close US allies such as Japan and South Korea continue to face high tariffs on steel and vehicle exports.
As Trump visits Seoul and Tokyo after KL, Azmi believes tariff discussions are expected to dominate the agenda.
Despite that, he said ASEAN should not expect lower tariffs simply by aligning more closely with the US, as the region is likely to maintain its current balancing stance without major shifts.
Following the conclusion of the summit on Oct 28, Azmi described the 47th ASEAN Summit as one of the bloc’s most successful gatherings, crediting Malaysia’s leadership for assembling an unprecedented number of global leaders despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Of course, Trump’s attendance, he said, was a major highlight, alongside leaders from Finland, the EU, the IMF and the World Bank — many of whom are not ASEAN dialogue partners.
“Credit should be given to the chairman, especially for being able to assemble all these world leaders in one summit,” he said. However, he viewed ASEAN’s failure to engage Trump collectively as a missed opportunity.
“ASEAN failed to confront Trump as an organisation. Some countries did so individually, but that carries much less weight compared to a united ASEAN position,” he said.
While noting little progress on the Myanmar issue, Azmi said China Premier Li Qiang’s efforts to move forward with the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea were noteworthy.
“There are missed opportunities, but there are also positive outcomes, especially with the signing of the upgraded CAFTA 3.0 alongside RCEP,” he said.
These developments, Azmi said, reaffirm China’s closer economic alignment with ASEAN, compared to the US, whose reciprocal trade agreements with individual ASEAN members remain more beneficial to Washington.
He assessed Malaysia’s performance as “very good”, saying it would be challenging for next year’s ASEAN chair, the Philippines, to surpass the standard set this year — especially amid global turbulence and the presence of leaders who are not necessarily aligned — namely, Trump and Brazil, or Trump and China.
Azmi added that Malaysia’s chairmanship demonstrated ASEAN’s resilience and diplomatic agility, proving the bloc’s ability to maintain balance and unity amid competing global powers.
Economic Focus Defines Trump-era Engagement
Political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun said Washington’s renewed visibility in the region under Trump would likely centre on economic interests rather than strategic or humanitarian goals.
He noted that security cooperation would probably take a commercial turn, with the US encouraging South-East Asian countries to purchase more American-made defence equipment.
“The Trump administration is very economically centric, and therefore any security matters will be focused on its economic aspects.
“So, more purchases of American weaponry, for example, will be strongly encouraged by the American side,” he told TMR.
On climate policy, Oh said meaningful engagement was unlikely given Trump’s past scepticism toward international climate accords.
Instead, he expects Washington to focus on policing transnational crimes such as scams and human trafficking, areas where US authorities have recently increased cooperation with regional law-enforcement agencies.
He also described human-rights advocacy as a perennial weak spot in US-ASEAN relations, saying that despite public commitments, human rights have never realistically been a priority for quite a number of country authorities in the region, and there is no reason why this will change.
Reviewing the summit’s broader outcomes, Oh identified the admission of Timor-Leste and the signing of the Thailand-Cambodian peace accord as major achievements, while noting that the lack of consensus on the South China Sea and Myanmar once again exposed ASEAN’s familiar limitations.
Taken together, Malaysia’s ASEAN 2025 chairmanship reflected both the region’s progress and its lingering limits.
The country earned praise for balancing major powers and expanding ASEAN’s global reach, even as unity on key security and humanitarian issues remained elusive.
As the Philippines prepares to assume the chair, the challenge will be to sustain KL’s momentum by translating diplomatic success into tangible outcomes in energy, trade and peacebuilding.
The 47th ASEAN Summit ultimately stood as a testament to Malaysia’s steady diplomacy and ASEAN’s resilience, proving the bloc’s ability to remain relevant and forward-looking amid a precarious global order.
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