Call For ASEAN To Act Collectively To Safeguard Regional Maritime Stability

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia today called on ASEAN member states to act in unison to safeguard regional maritime stability, cautioning that failure to do so could expose the region to external interference.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin stressed that the region can no longer afford complacency in the face of mounting maritime challenges, urging nations to stand ready to collaborate and co-create a more secure maritime future.

“If ASEAN does not act now, our maritime stability will be severely compromised. We must not let our sovereign maritime zones fall into the hands of foreign powers.

“We cannot afford silence, cannot afford fragmentation and certainly cannot afford a destabilised Southeast Asia, hence what we need is a collective action that turns dialogue into delivery and ambition into execution,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of the 19th 19th ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting (ANCM) here, today.

The minister also emphasised that challenges within the region’s maritime domain are becoming increasingly complex, encompassing traditional power rivalries and territorial disputes, as well as non-traditional threats such as illegal fishing, cyber intrusions, and disinformation campaigns.

Mohamed Khaled also identified three priority areas to reinforce ASEAN’s maritime cooperation framework, emphasising the need to uphold the bloc’s centrality and neutrality amid intensifying external pressures, including grey-zone tactics, foreign incursions, maritime coercion, and the subtle erosion of sovereignty.

“In the face of this, ASEAN must remain the anchor of maritime order in our region. International laws, particularly UNCLOS 1982 (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), must be the foundation on which our cooperation must stand,” he said.

Secondly, he pointed out that ASEAN must move beyond rhetoric and concretise practical ASEAN-led maritime cooperation, thus Malaysia proposed several forward-looking initiatives.

It includes the ASEAN Maritime Innovation Challenge (AMIC) to encourage young naval officers and academies to propose low-cost, high-impact solutions for maritime problems and the ASEAN Naval Sport Cup, to foster friendship and teamwork through healthy competition in maritime sports.

Mohamed Khaled also proposed a region-wide ASEAN naval project that advances technology adoption, enhances human capital and builds naval capabilities through joint development programmes while tapping into each nation’s unique strengths for the shared benefit of the region.

Thirdly, he invited all ASEAN nations to collectively explore a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society (WOGOS) approach in tackling modern maritime threats.

The Defence Minister stressed that WOGOS is a strategic necessity to integrate defence, diplomacy and enforcement across many agencies to build long-term resilience rooted in inclusion, innovation and shared responsibility.

Chaired by the Malaysian Navy chief, Admiral Tan Sri Datuk Dr Zulhelmy Ithnain, the 19th ANCM, taking place from yesterday until Aug 22, is a high-level meeting of ASEAN naval commanders to strengthen maritime cooperation and trust.

With the theme ‘Advancing the ASEAN Navies’ Unity – Synergising Innovation and Technology in Strengthening ASEAN Maritime Security’, the meeting brings together 88 naval delegates from the 10 ASEAN countries, along with observers from Timor-Leste.

It also features the participation of 10 ASEAN naval ships with around 1,350 officers and personnel, as part of the ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX) segment.

-- BERNAMA