PM ANWAR: ASEAN CENTRALITY UNDERPINS RESPONSE TO FRAGMENTED WORLD ORDER
From Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
TOKYO, June 10 (Bernama) -- ASEAN centrality remains a practical response to an increasingly fragmented global order, with regional inclusion and cooperation proving more effective than exclusion and coercion, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Speaking on “Navigating Strategic Uncertainty” at the 31st Nikkei Forum, Anwar said ASEAN's task is far from complete, with the next phase of regional cooperation focused on strengthening economic resilience, building trusted supply chains, and accelerating the energy transition.
He said ASEAN centrality should not be viewed as a diplomatic slogan but as a working framework that prioritises dialogue, openness, and practical cooperation in addressing regional challenges.
As an example of ASEAN's approach, Anwar cited the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), describing it as proof that regional cooperation can deliver tangible outcomes amid uncertainty.
“When regional economic integration faced uncertainty, ASEAN members, including Malaysia, worked with Japan and other Dialogue Partners to bring RCEP into force, creating the world’s largest free trade agreement by population and economic scale," he said.
However, Anwar said the challenge now extends beyond market access to ensuring regional economies are resilient, technologically competitive, and capable of delivering shared prosperity.
He said ASEAN must accelerate the energy transition, harness artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly, and ensure the benefits of technological progress are shared more broadly, rather than concentrated among a privileged few.
On the future of the Indo-Pacific, he said the region cannot be built on strategic concepts alone but must be grounded in tangible cooperation that benefits the people.
“This is preconditioned on a relationship of mutual trust, a genuine aspiration, and political will to ensure mutual benefits to be derived from economic collaboration,” he said.
Anwar said initiatives such as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework reflect a shared understanding that prosperity, resilience, and stability are interconnected.
“The challenge before us is therefore not to create ever more frameworks, but to ensure that existing initiatives produce meaningful outcomes. Frameworks must be matched by strong leadership, resolute commitment, and decisive action,” he added.
Anwar said Malaysia stands ready to work with Japan, ASEAN, and other like-minded partners who believe peace is sustained through dialogue, prosperity through openness, and progress through cooperation, adding that they must work together to navigate strategic uncertainty and chart the way forward.
-- BERNAMA
