ASEAN Summit 2025 Opens in Kuala Lumpur with Call for Unity, Peace and Resilience
BY TENGKU NOOR SHAMSIAH TENGKU ABDULLAH
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — The 47th ASEAN Summit officially opened today at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urging Southeast Asia’s leaders to embrace unity, resilience, and courage in shaping the region’s future amid growing global uncertainty.
Welcoming ASEAN leaders, guests, and international partners, Anwar said Malaysia took on the ASEAN Chairmanship this year with the responsibility to “define priorities, renew ASEAN’s sense of purpose, and chart a course worthy of our peoples’ hopes.”
A World in Flux, ASEAN’s Resolve Tested
Acknowledging that 2025 is a year of unsettled geopolitics, the Prime Minister pointed to rising contestation and instability across regions, stressing that ASEAN’s endurance lies in its commitment to cooperation.
“The old order is no longer certain, and the new one not yet defined,” he said. “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.”
In a symbolic moment underscoring ASEAN’s peace-building role, Cambodia and Thailand are expected to sign a peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur later today, an act Anwar described as “an act of courage” that demonstrates reconciliation can reshape the future of nations.
Timor-Leste Joins ASEAN Family
Highlighting a historic milestone, Anwar announced that Timor-Leste has been formally admitted into ASEAN, completing the 11-member regional bloc.
“Its place here completes the ASEAN family – reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship,” he said, pledging ASEAN’s support for Timor-Leste’s development and strategic autonomy.
Myanmar, Peace and Regional Stability
The Prime Minister also touched on efforts to resolve the protracted Myanmar crisis. Guided by the Five-Point Consensus, ASEAN continues to push for reducing violence and easing the humanitarian crisis.
“But lasting peace cannot be imposed. It must be Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led — only then will reconciliation endure,” he stressed.
Driving Economic Integration and Sustainability
Anwar outlined Malaysia’s priorities for ASEAN’s economic future, highlighting several landmark initiatives:
- ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) upgrade: to be launched at this Summit, aimed at creating a more seamless regional market.
- ASEAN Power Grid: backed by a new financing facility to accelerate the transition to cleaner, more secure energy.
- Blue Economy Framework & Regional EV Ecosystem: strengthening green industries and sustainable growth.
- ASEAN Digital Economy: targeted to double to USD2 trillion by 2030, with a Digital Economic Framework Agreement fast-tracked for 2026.
- ASEAN AI Safety Network (AI SAFE): to ensure artificial intelligence development remains ethical and safe.
Expanding ASEAN’s Global Role
Amid shifting supply chains and rising protectionism, Anwar urged ASEAN to deepen and diversify partnerships. He cited Malaysia’s hosting of the ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-GCC-China Summits earlier this year, as well as tomorrow’s 5th RCEP Leaders’ Summit, which advances the world’s largest free-trade area.
The Summit will also welcome Brazil and South Africa as Guests of the Chair at the 20th East Asia Summit, a move that Anwar said strengthens ASEAN’s bridge to the Global South and enhances engagement with BRICS and the G20.
A Future by Choice, Not Circumstance
Closing his address, Anwar reminded leaders that ASEAN’s destiny rests in its own decisions.
“The future of ASEAN will not be written by circumstance. It will be written by choice — by the choices we make today,” he declared, officially opening the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits. – TNS NEWS