ADDRESS BY

THE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

AT THE

OPENING CEREMONY OF THE

47TH ASEAN SUMMIT AND RELATED SUMMITS

26 OCTOBER 2025

8:30 AM | PLENARY HALL, KLCC

 

 

 

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

On behalf of the Government and people of Malaysia, I warmly welcome Your Majesty, all ASEAN Leaders, Guests of the Chair, and friends from around the world to Kuala Lumpur – and to the 47th ASEAN Summit.

 

When Malaysia assumed the ASEAN Chairmanship, we recognised the magnitude of the responsibility before us. Leadership is never a matter of routine – it is a matter of choice: to define priorities, renew ASEAN’s sense of purpose, and chart a course worthy of our peoples’ hopes.

 

2025 is a year that asks more of us. The world feels unsettled – the old order no longer certain, the new one not yet defined.

 

Across regions, we see rising contestation and growing uncertainty. These crosswinds test not only our economies, but our collective resolve to keep faith in cooperation – to believe that understanding and dialogue can still prevail in a divided age.

 

And yet, amid these trials, ASEAN endures. Our strength lies not in uniformity, but in the conviction that respect and reason still bind us together.

 

Later this morning, when Cambodia and Thailand sign their peace agreement here in Kuala Lumpur, the world will see what that conviction can achieve. It reminds us that reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage – and that peace, once chosen, can reshape the future of nations.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

The ASEAN Community Vision 2045, adopted in May, speaks of who we aspire to be – and challenges us to make those aspirations real.

 

It calls on us to strengthen ASEAN’s unity and Centrality, to pursue growth that is both resilient and fair, and to safeguard the welfare of generations yet to come.

 

Timor-Leste’s historic admission into ASEAN today gives new meaning to that vision. Its place here completes the ASEAN family – reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship. Within this community, Timor-Leste’s development and its strategic autonomy will find firm and lasting support.

 

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

 

As Chair this year, Malaysia sought to realign ASEAN’s priorities – to keep the Association resilient, relevant, and responsive to the times.

 

Together with fellow Member States, we have worked to foster the conditions for peace in Myanmar. We know this requires patience and persistence – and an honest appreciation of realities on the ground.

 

Guided by the Five-Point Consensus, ASEAN has drawn on every available channel and partner to reduce violence and ease the humanitarian crisis. But lasting peace cannot be imposed. It

 

must be Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led – only then will reconciliation endure.

 

The relative peace and prosperity that ASEAN has enjoyed for nearly six decades are not self-sustaining. They must be renewed through cooperation and strengthened by shared purpose. That is why ASEAN is deepening economic linkages, widening trade, and enhancing competitiveness.

 

The upgrade of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, to be launched at this Summit, will create a more seamless regional market – unlocking scale, efficiency, and opportunity for our businesses and workers alike.

 

We are also advancing the ASEAN Power Grid. The new APG Financing Facility will help bridge funding gaps and accelerate our transition toward cleaner, more secure energy.

 

In parallel, we are moving forward on the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework and the Regional Electric Vehicle Ecosystem – building the foundations of sustainable industry and green growth.

 

With ASEAN’s digital economy expected to double to USD2 trillion by 2030, we have agreed to fast-track the ASEAN Digital Economic Framework Agreement by 2026.

 

And to ensure technology remains our servant, not our master, we will establish the ASEAN AI Safety Network – AI SAFE – to embed ethics, safety, and sound governance in the use of artificial intelligence.

 

Rising protectionism and shifting supply chains remind us that resilience depends on adaptability. ASEAN must not stand still. We must have the courage to forge new partnerships and the foresight to deepen existing ones.

 

In that spirit, Malaysia hosted the 2nd ASEAN-GCC and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summits earlier this year.

 

Tomorrow, we convene the 5th RCEP Leaders’ Summit – advancing the world’s largest free-trade area toward its full potential.

 

We also welcome Brazil and South Africa, Guests of the Chair, to the 20th East Asia Summit – an important step in widening ASEAN’s engagement with the BRICS and the G20, and strengthening our bridge to the Global South.

 

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

 

 

The future of ASEAN will not be written by circumstance. It will be written by choice – by the choices we make today.

 

On that note, it is my honour to declare open the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

 

Thank you.