ASEAN MUST UPHOLD UNITY, ADAPTABILITY AMID RISING GLOBAL UNCERTAINTIES - PM ANWAR
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged ASEAN member states to uphold unity, adaptability and shared purpose amid an increasingly uncertain global landscape.
Anwar said Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN this year carried a profound responsibility to not only guide the regional bloc but also renew its sense of purpose and direction in a rapidly changing world.
“Leadership is never a matter of routine; it is a matter of choice: to define priorities, renew ASEAN’s sense of purpose, and chart a course worthy of our peoples’ hopes,” he said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, here.
In attendance were Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Also attending were United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres, European Council President Antonio Costa, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta.
Anwar said that 2025 posed new tests for ASEAN as global uncertainties continue to mount, with shifting geopolitical dynamics and economic disruptions challenging the region’s resilience and collective resolve.
“Across regions, we see rising contestation and growing uncertainty. These crosswinds test not only our economies but also our collective resolve to keep faith in cooperation — to believe that understanding and dialogue can still prevail in a divided age,” he said.
He said that despite these challenges, ASEAN’s strength lies in its diversity and enduring commitment to respect and reason, values that continue to bind the region together.
Anwar said the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, adopted in May, represented the bloc’s aspirations to strengthen unity and centrality, pursue inclusive and sustainable growth, and safeguard the welfare of future generations.
The prime minister also touched on the establishment of the ASEAN AI Safety Network (AI SAFE), an initiative aimed at embedding ethics, safety and sound governance in the use of artificial intelligence across the region.
“Technology must remain our servant, not our master,” he said.
Anwar also underscored the need for ASEAN to remain proactive in navigating global economic shifts marked by rising protectionism and evolving supply chains.
“Rising protectionism and shifting supply chains remind us that resilience depends on adaptability,” he said.
Therefore, he said ASEAN must not stand still and needs to muster the courage to forge new partnerships and the foresight to deepen existing ones.
He said Malaysia hosted the 2nd ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-GCC-China Summits earlier this year, underscoring the region’s growing engagement with global partners.
Anwar said ASEAN’s efforts to advance economic cooperation would continue with the Fifth RCEP Leaders’ Summit tomorrow, moving the world’s largest free trade area toward its full potential.
He also welcomed the participation of Brazil and South Africa as Guests of the Chair at the 20th East Asia Summit, describing it as a vital step in expanding ASEAN’s engagement with the BRICS and G20 nations and strengthening its bridge to the Global South.
“The future of ASEAN will not be written by circumstance. It will be written by choice – by the choices we make today,” he added.
The 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits are convening at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Oct 26 to 28 under Malaysia’s ASEAN 2025 Chairmanship, themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.
The Summit is set to be one of the largest meetings in the bloc’s history, serving as a crucial platform to foster deeper collaboration while addressing regional and global challenges in a cohesive, inclusive manner.
This is the fifth time Malaysia has assumed the ASEAN Chair since the bloc’s inception in 1967, with the previous chairmanships in 2015, 2005, 1997 and 1977.
-- BERNAMA
