ASEAN Continues To Drive Its Own Path Amid Superpower Competition - Mohamad

By Linda Khoo

LANGKAWI, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan on Sunday reaffirmed that ASEAN will continue to drive its own path forward amid intensifying superpower competition in the region.

With a highly geo-strategic position, cultural versatility, and economic weight, he said Southeast Asia holds massive potential.

“One frequently asked question relates to the incoming US presidency, and how this will shape the dynamics of the region, in the years to come. Our region has become a site of concentrated superpower competition.

“Embedded in this tension is the unspoken truth: that this has only happened because, as I said earlier, we hold massive potential,” he said in his opening remarks at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat held at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC) in the legendary island.

Meanwhile, Mohamad expressed hope that the incoming leaders of ASEAN's dialogue partner nations would recognise the bloc's increasingly vital role and engage with it in a diplomatic and open-minded manner.

“It is a role that we must play for ourselves. We are the speakers, and not the spoken-for,” he said.

Mohamad emphasised the need for thorough preparation, citing potential challenges to ASEAN centrality that require careful anticipation and planning.

“As the global order shifts, numerous multilateral pacts have, and may continue to emerge, that may disrupt this region’s security landscape. We must ensure that ASEAN remains our central, go-to platform for solution-seeking,” he said.

Mohamad said the economic bloc, with combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$3.8 trillion and a population of 677 million, must drive its own path forward.

“As a collective, and as ASEAN, our strength is that of a giant… ASEAN’s strength lies in the way it represents, an entirely different model of engagement. One where shared decision-making, transcends differences in governance. 

“It is one where influence is not measured, only by military might or economic power, but by the ability to foster dialogue, to encourage cooperation, and to build the trust necessary, for global peace and prosperity,” he added.

-- BERNAMA