Asean charts path to integration, resilience, at Langkawi retreat

Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan highlighted the need for Asean to focus on regional economic integration, climate preparedness, and inclusivity to navigate a rapidly changing global landscape.

He said this when opening the Asean Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat in Langkawi today.

“Our diversity of economic strengths and capabilities, coupled with Asean’s involvement in free trade agreements like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), positions us uniquely to build integrated supply chains,” he said.

Highlighting Asean’s collective potential, he noted the bloc’s status as the fifth-largest economy globally, with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$3.8 trillion (RM7.1 trillion) and a population of 677 million.

Mohamad emphasised the need for continued intra-regional trade and investment.

“We are much stronger together. Promoting intra-regional trade and investment is essential to shielding us from future economic shocks,” he said at the retreat, hosted by Malaysia as the Asean chair for 2025 and held at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC).

Addressing the growing threat of climate change, Mohamad called for unified action within Asean.

“As one of the most vulnerable regions to climate-induced disasters, Southeast Asia must be crisis-ready. Asean’s collective voice in global negotiations, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), is vital to ensure our needs are heard,” he said.

Including Timor-Leste

Malaysia, as the 2025 Asean chair, has prioritised “Inclusivity and Sustainability” under its leadership, emphasising the empowerment of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“We aspire to uplift and provide equitable opportunities for all segments of society, ensuring that no one is left behind,” the foreign minister affirmed, aligning the bloc’s vision with Malaysia’s “Madani” principles.

Inclusivity extends beyond economic programmes as the chair’s call to recognise all 11 member states fully, including Timor-Leste, reflects its commitment to regional unity.

“In the spirit of this endeavour, we hope to see it reflected within Asean’s membership, that Southeast Asia is not a region of 10 nations – there are 11 of us. And all 11 of us deserve to participate fully, in an organisation that champions the wellbeing of this part of the world.

“If we do not demonstrate inclusivity within our organisation, all of our rhetoric would ring hollow. We must walk the talk, and we must demonstrate trust and support for one another,” he urged.

As Asean turns 58, Mohamad reflected on the decades of dedication by its leaders and citizens to building bridges across nations.

“I picture the women and men who have come before us, who poured their tears and sweat into building bridges between our nations, and the pride that I feel is immense,” he said, noting that “the work ahead will not be easy”.

“We, too, must pour our tears and sweat, into the future of our home. We will do it as one. The diversity of our region, far from being an obstacle, is symbolic of our power to build bridges.

“As we navigate the future together, let us recognise that our success depends on our unity, our resolve and our willingness to adapt to the demands of an ever-changing world.

“It is all in our hands,” Mohamad concluded.

Asean chair

This meeting brings together the foreign ministers and senior officials of all the 10 Asean member states.

Also present were the Timor-Leste Foreign Minister, Bendito Freitas, and the Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn.

Malaysia officially assumed the chairmanship of the Asean 2025 on Jan 1, the fifth time it has led the regional grouping since its establishment in 1967.

Over 300 key meetings and programmes are scheduled to take place across the country throughout the year.

Malaysia has previously chaired Asean in 1977, 1997, 2005, and, 2015.

- Bernama

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