KEYNOTE ADDRESS

BY

YAB DATO’ SERI ANWAR BIN IBRAHIM

PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

IN CONJUCTION WITH

GALA DINNER FOR THE 57^TH ASEAN ECONOMIC MINISTERS’ (AEM) MEETING AND RELATED MEETING

24 SEPTEMBER 2025 (WEDNESDAY) | 8.00 PM

PERDANA BOTANICAL GARDEN

KUALA LUMPUR

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, salam sejahtera.

Saudara Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul bin Tengku Aziz,

Menteri Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri;

Menteri-menteri; dan

Rakan-rakan yang saya muliakan.

1. Terima kasih atas kehadiran pada malam ini. Sidang ini menemukan pimpinan ekonomi dan juga rakan dialog kita untuk melakar satu dasar yang boleh mengangkat kekuatan ekonomi rantau, khususnya ASEAN dalam mendepani permasalahan dan yang belum terkawal. Tetapi, dengan kesepakatan ASEAN saya percaya kita mampu mengangkat semula kekuatan ekonomi bukan sahaja Malaysia tetapi rantau ini sebagai rantau yang penting, kritikal dalam menghadapi ujian dan yang utamanya, menjadikan kekuatan ekonomi sebagai kekuatan asas.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

2. Thank you, Zafrul, fellow ministers and dialogue partners. The economic pillar remains our central and fundamental goal. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn would certainly agree with me. Of course, we have to secure peace in this region. We continue to engage with all partners, but our priority is of course, the economic pillar. So, your steadfast contributions have shaped the ASEAN Economic Community into what it is today. When we launched AEC in 2015, we envisioned a deeply integrated region that is cohesive, competitive and resilient. That vision has guided our journey and it continues to inspire us today.
3. Now ASEAN stands as the world’s fifth-largest economy. With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the upgraded ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and our ever-deepening linkages, we are poised to become the world’s fourth-largest economic bloc by 2030. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts. We are a collective presence that commands both respect and relevance.
4. In such times, ASEAN cannot be a passive observer. We must not only respond, we must lead. Resilience must be built from within by strengthening supply chains, empowering MSMEs, investing in sustainability and embracing innovation.
5. In this regard, I welcome the proposal to convene the first-ever joint ASEAN Foreign and Economic Ministers’ Meeting next month. A good luck. The Economic Ministers normally are very focused on the economy. The Foreign Ministers focus on everything else except the economy. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding in this meeting. The Foreign Ministers not here, so I can get away with such remarks.
6. This is a bold and timely initiative. It signals ASEAN’s resolve to address the interlinked challenges of geopolitics and geo-economics with unity and institutionalized coherence. Malaysia is proud to host and support this historic undertaking, and we hope it will chart the shared principles that guide ASEAN’s journey in navigating the complex nexus of economic and political realities in the years ahead.
7. I am distracted by the smell of durian, some of you are not yet familiar with, but I would suggest strongly you should try. It’s like blue cheese you either like it or hate it. And if you don’t like it, they will consider you a bit partially cultured. So, this is a test of our resolve to introduce ASEAN diplomacy.
8. Now Malaysia remains committed to ensuring that growth is inclusive, that no Member State is left behind, and that the dividends of integration and equitability shared.
9. We also acknowledge the enduring role of our Dialogue Partners. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. It means a lot, and I wouldn’t want to overstate this fact, but we in ASEAN always consider the Dialogue Partners as key players to help propel our economy, accelerate, and give essence and meaning to what we mean as expanding our focus, our market, and trade and investments.
10. Now, looking ahead, Timor-Leste’s is joining us by the end of October, and their entry into ASEAN will mark another milestone in our journey.
11. Having just returned from addressing the Timor-Leste Parliament this morning, Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul bin Tengku Aziz is not kind to me at all. No break. Just coming from the airport and changing to a batik and he didn’t supply me the same batik as the fellow ministers. But their admission into ASEAN will further strengthen the region’s unity enhance. The Americans say ‘enhance’, I compromise. We say enhance, but I can use ‘enhance’. I wouldn’t want to quarrel over there. Enhance our relevance and deepen our resilience in the face of global uncertainties.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

12. ASEAN is not merely a region; it is a region with a promise of boundless potential. Together, let us unlock the potential for our peoples, our partners and generations to come.
13. On behalf of the government and the people of Malaysia, I thank you for your presence. We say enjoy the makan and the cultural performance. Well, MITI has little to do with it. It is still under Tourism Ministry. So, when I came down here, I wasn’t sure. Is this a MITI economic gathering or a tourist sort of exercise? But we are mixed into one, and I hope you enjoy and relax tonight. You deserve this. You work very hard to protect the interests of all people and to help propel our economy.

Thank you very much, terima kasih.

HOLDING OUR GROUND: SOUTHEAST ASIA IN A FRACTURED WORLD

SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA AT THE SHANGRI-LA DIALOGUE 31 MAY 2025

SINGAPORE

This gathering has become an essential forum where ideas are tested, assumptions challenged, and common ground quietly built.

Today, I would like to speak about how Southeast Asia is holding its ground – through cooperation, collective resilience, and the steady exercise of our own agency.

One example is the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, an economic partnership designed to boost investment, innovation and connectivity between Singapore and southern Malaysia. In a world increasingly shaped by fractures and fault lines, we aim to offer a different kind of border: one defined not by division, but by shared purpose.

ASEAN: Built to Endure, Poised to Evolve

If this Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone is a glimpse of what cooperation can achieve at the bilateral level, then ASEAN is the wider canvas.

The 46^th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur held last week was substantive and productive. We adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045, a 20-year roadmap to knit our region closer together, with jobs, connectivity and sustainability at its core. This is the kind of groundwork on which lasting security is built.

We made the historic decision to admit Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11^th member, with formal admission expected at the next Summit in October.

The situation in Myanmar remains grave, but we are not standing still. ASEAN does not seek to engineer outcomes in Myanmar. But we are equally clear that the Five-Point Consensus dictates that a resolution that excludes those most affected by this crisis will not endure. Myanmar’s nationhood must be forged through inclusion, not erasure.

Beyond our borders, ASEAN is widening its strategic aperture. The ASEAN-GCC Summit deepened ties with the Gulf. This week’s launch of the ASEAN-GCC-China trilateral initiative, unprecedented and momentous, reflects our intent to connect ASEAN’s energy and talent with the Gulf’s capital and China’s scale. New tools, like the ASEAN Geoeconomics Task Force, are helping us navigate external shocks with sharper coordination and foresight.

And while such headlines matter, the real strength lies in what happens beneath them. Or what happens within us as in what Tocqueville describes as “the habits of the heart”, rituals that helped to establish and sustain democratic institutions with a coherent moral ethos.

And that gives us “habits of cooperation” – trade facilitation, cybersecurity frameworks, cross-border data rules, cultural cooperation. They may not be as dramatic, but they are no less vital, for they give Southeast Asia greater impetus to act together. And the more we act together, the harder it becomes to be pulled apart by external gravity.

Preserving our autonomy is not about resisting others. It is about strengthening ourselves. This, in essence, is what ASEAN Centrality is about.

Economic Openness and Strategic Stability

That same spirit shaped the ASEAN leaders’ statement on global economic and trade uncertainty. We warned of the dangers of unilateral actions, retaliatory tariffs and the growing risk of global fragmentation. We

affirmed ASEAN’s commitment to an open, predictable and rules-based trading system – not because it is expedient, but because it is existential.

Southeast Asia is not new to globalisation. We are one of its original crossroads. From the trade routes of the Malaccan Sultanate, Majapahit empires, and the Kingdoms across Southeast Asia, to the data centres of today, our region has long depended on openness. – to goods, capital, ideas and people. This openness has anchored our prosperity, stabilised our politics and strengthened regional cohesion. What holds true for us holds true elsewhere: when trade flourishes, stability follows. When it falters, the consequences ripple far beyond any one region.

Economic openness is not just about creating prosperity and growth. It is a source of equilibrium, both between nations and within them, to deal with pressing issues that affect the people, such as poverty, social inequities, or even digital divide. Open markets create the kind of mutual exposure between nations that encourages caution, not confrontation.

And when this system is disrupted, markets lose their bearings. Investor confidence wavers while financial flows seize up. What began as a commercial rupture becomes a systemic shock. History reminds us that these shifts are rarely gradual.

This commitment reflects the realities we face every day – as open, export-driven economies deeply connected to global markets. For countries like ours, fragmented trade raises costs, lowers resilience and depresses investment. Currency volatility and investor flight do not

respect borders. And disruptions in energy, food or critical minerals cascade quickly through societies.

The point is not that globalisation has been perfect. It hasn’t. But it has created shared interests that restrain rash decisions. In today’s fractured landscape, that kind of restraint is more valuable than ever.

In Defence of Restraint

Ladies and gentlemen,

All this talk about trade does not mean we are oblivious to the hard security challenges facing our region. Voltaire famously observed that “optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.” This is, undeniably, a sobering moment in history. The number of armed conflicts is now at its highest since the end of the Second World War, from the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza, to civil strife in Myanmar, Sudan and the Sahel.

We must not allow selective outrage or strategic fatigue to dull our moral clarity. Indeed, the genocide in Gaza is a test of our collective conscience. The scale of devastation, the open defiance of humanitarian norms, and the paralysis of institutions meant to uphold them demand more than sympathy. They demand consistency and action.

The new orthodoxy affects not just how we view diplomacy, but how we structure security. If persuasion is dismissed as weakness, then exclusivity becomes strategy.

We do not object to like-minded partners talking amongst themselves. But coalitions that build walls instead of bridges, stoke arms competition, or undermine the legitimacy of multilateralism should give us pause. A stable region is not one braced for conflict, but one grounded in openness, transparency, and habit-forming cooperation.

Nevertheless, we understand that nations need a degree of control over their defence industries and critical infrastructure. We recognise that a measure of deterrence helps keep all parties honest. It is with that realism in mind that Malaysia adopts a posture of active non-alignment, to preserve our ability to act on our own terms. It is a deliberate way to remain outward-facing, connected, and in control of our strategic space.

The suggestion that if we do not align fully with one side, then we must have capitulated to the other, is untenable. Nowhere is this more evident than in the prevailing discourse on the South China Sea where the dispute is far too complex. Our objective is not achieved through escalation – nor by provoking others into disproportionate responses. It is best pursued through steady, principled diplomacy: quiet, where necessary, but always firm.

Malaysia remains deeply concerned about the potential for escalation among the claimants in the South China Sea. We have no interest in seeing tensions spiral into confrontation – least of all in waters so critical to our own security and prosperity. That is why we will continue to engage all parties calmly, directly and consistently. We will urge restraint, encourage dialogue, and work to preserve the stability on which this region depends. Above all, we remain steadfast in our principled insistence that all parties uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Preserving Strategic Autonomy

Ladies and gentlemen,

Malaysia does not believe in spheres of influence. History has shown that when major powers attempt to divide the world into exclusive zones of control, smaller nations are often left voiceless. Stability does not come from carving up the map, but from creating space for all to participate meaningfully in shaping the order we live in.

Our approach is one of active non-alignment. We will engage all who are willing – major powers and middle powers alike – not to set one against the other, but to maximise our own strategic space. Indeed, while we welcome a strong and enduring US presence in the region, towards fostering peace, we also value our vibrant and firm ties with China, and our robust partnerships across Asia, Europe and the Global South.

What Southeast Asia needs is a dynamic equilibrium that enables cooperation without coercion, and balance without bloc politics. For Malaysia, this is a deliberate and strategic posture: to help preserve an open region, to assert our sovereignty, and to make our own choices – on our own terms.

Thank you.

SPEECH BY

YAB DATO’ SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM
PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

LAUNCHING CEREMONY OF
ESTEEL ENTERPRISE SABAH SDN BHD
PHASE 1 PROJECT

30 MAY 2025 (FRIDAY) | 10.00 AM

SIPITANG OIL & GAS INDUSTRIAL PARK (SOGIP), SABAH

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh dan walam sejahtera.

Salam Kaamatan Toinsanan.

Semangat Kaamatan.

Saudara saya Ketua Menteri, YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Hj Hajiji Haji Noor;

Timbalan Ketua Menteri;

Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan Dan Koperasi, YB Datuk Ewon Benedick;

Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri Dan Kos Sara Hidup, YB Datuk Armizan bin Mohd Ali;

Menteri-menteri Negeri Sabah, Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri dan rakan-rakan;

Chairman of Esteel Enterprise Sabah, Saudara You Zhenhua;

Chairman of Sabah Oil and Gas Development Corporation, YBhg. Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Rahman;

Dan rakan-rakan.

1. Kita rasa bangga kerana kita dapat menyaksikan satu bentuk pelaburan baru yang besar dan ini memang dimungkinkan kerana sistem politik negara yang stabil, yang menyebabkan ada keyakinan. Dan kedua, kerana ada dasar yang menggalakkan pelaburan yang memberikan insentif, yang menjadikan Malaysia dan Sabah menarik untuk meyakini pelabur. Dan ketiga, cabaran yang sangat penting ialah cara kita, dari Menteri-menterinya, Setiausaha Kerajaan Negerinya dan penjawat awam keseluruhannya, perbandaran – menjalankan dengan cekap dan telus untuk meyakinkan pelabur bahawa tidak ada satu kerenah birokrasi yang menghalang dan menghambat kepesatan pelaksanaan projek.

2. So, I extend my profound and sincere appreciation to Esteel Enterprise Sabah for its decision and commitment to invest in Sabah and in the process, of course, showcase their confidence in the stability of the political system, clarity of policies, precisely economic policies and the effective execution in terms of approvals of the project at the ground level. These are the three criteria that is considered the precondition to ensure that the country is succeed.

3. We are living in a very competitive environment. We are facing, for example, the unprecedented and also unanticipated tariff announced by President Donald Trump. But let us view this positively. Number one, of course, we have to look at negotiations because the United States remain one of the important investors into Malaysia. Cumulatively, there is the highest investment into Malaysia and we continue to have good relations with the United States.

4. Admiral Samuel J. Paparo of the United States Indo-Pacific Command met me yesterday in Putrajaya and tomorrow Secretary of Defence of United States requested for a meeting with me in Singapore, I was asked by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to address the Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, which means we continue to maintain good relations because we are a trading nation.

5. Our Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Minister, YB Senator Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul and the team went to the United States to negotiate. In our case, that we had an engagement with all ASEAN countries within a common position and together with Korea, Japan and China to support the position for Malaysia to remain steadfast supporting multilateral trading system and to reject any unilateral actions. Notwithstanding, the solution should be negotiations while firming the principles of fair rule based, multilateral trading arrangements.
6. At the same time, we in ASEAN has gone further. I of course thank all the Ministries, Officers, the private sector, the hotel, the workers, the drivers who made it possible, successful 46^th ASEAN Summit for last few days. And this gives a lot of satisfaction, alhamdulillah.

7. The Malaysia can showcase its ability to organize international conference not only efficiently and successfully but in terms of substantive decisions, we would register something phenomenal in this 46^th ASEAN Summit. So, I wish them thank you to all those who supported.
8. At the same time, this is again the first time when ASEAN was able to attract the richest Arab countries, the GCC – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman to come to Kuala Lumpur and committed to having a synergy of collaboration into the trade, investments and diplomatic relations to cement their relations by focusing on economic advancement in energy transition, in digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence and, of course, food security. And again, it is the first time in ASEAN they will could do it.

9. And following that as ASEAN, GCC and China.Last month, we received President Xi Jinping who gave his support and commitment for enhanced, comprehensive strategic partnership with Malaysia. And this week, we had Premier Li Qiang who become a personal friend of mine, who came and represented China in the discussion with ASEAN and GCC. That is why I always remind and reiterate this point to our friends, including now Saudi Arabia that the political stability, relations and respect for all communities that after all, Allah SWT has exalted the children of Adam.
10. Many tribes and the race, agreed not to sow discord but to establish that human respect and trust to know and appreciate one another according to the Quranic term; ‘lita’arafu’. It is essential and those of us being Prime Minister or Ministers or Chief Minister were entrusted the authority and ‘amanah’ for leadership, must use this to introduce with clarity policies that will benefit the people through good governance and clarity of policies that will be able to attract investments domestically and foreign direct investments.
11. For those of you who were entrusted as officers at all levels must be efficient. We don’t compare to the weakest of nations. We don’t compare to countries with poor growth. We compare to the best. There is no reason why some or Malaysia, cannot aim for the best. And the best means leaders with conviction, tenacity of purpose, with discipline, good governance, clarity of policies and love and affection for their people in the state and in the federation.
12. The federal government remains fully committed is supporting initiative by the states. This includes what is considered our priority for included the USD or the UN is standable roles. What more, Esteel as an added attraction is agreed upon, is committed to training or discussing with the chairman and I said the focus must be now, training our young Sabahans, in universities, in TVET institutions and the state and the federal agencies should be more flexible, allowing them to enter these events, take over some of this program and train them now. So that when they graduate with the certificate, it may not be a formal certificate by the Ministry, it may be a certificate by the company and coming from Esteel, is as good or at time, better than some of our departments.
13. Let them handle the training. Let them make sure that the training meets the standards and also the requirements of that particular industry. If they want 200 people from a particular TVET or university to work in the company or in the industry, let them train now. So, that there will not be a mismatch between what is being trained by the education centers and what is required by the industry. So, they should be given that flexibility.
14. In Kulim Hi-Tech, in Johor-Singapore Economic Zone, in Lembah Klang. We have told the industries and universities, colleges, to work in tandem, collaborate to ensure that the training needs the requirement of the industries. I mentioned to the chairman, get your staff, go to a particular institution, IPTA or whatever and recommend this and I must remind the Ministries, no compromise. Don’t give, you know, some bureaucratic, technical, you think about future of your students and they will be better served in the industry. Train these people for their requirements. If they need to be sent to either Kuala Lumpur or China, then come back as qualified engineers or technicians. To get it done and no excuses to not be accepted. That’s what we mean by inclusive growth.
15. What the Malaysian strategy in the ASEAN 2025, inclusivity. We think everybody. That’s why I’m here out of respect for Kaamatan this year, this is the separate program. To me, I told Chief Minister Hajiji that I come all the way and was given this honor and there’s no harm to contribute. That’s what we mean by inclusivity, by respect, by MADANI it means you respect and you show appreciation. That is precisely the reason why I think that we need to encourage this spirit. Don’t listen, you can listen at the thing some of these people desperate. They only talk about divisions, negative. That is the problem, psychological problem.

16. We pick on small issue, look at it. Look at Malaysia today, look at how ASEAN gives us the respect. Look at the GCC countries, the Emir of Qatar, the Prime Minister, countries like Kuwait and the rest come all the way just to showcase they are willing to be in Malaysia.

17. However, with ASEAN, invest in this country, have confidence in our policies. Look at China. Can you imagine any other country? Well last month the President comes and now this week the Premier. I mean, Malaysia’s relatively small emerging economy we are able to attract big power not because of Anwar, not because of chief minister. No, because we are a people united, peaceful, and focused on economic advancement and welfare for our people. That is precisely the reason.
18. So, in ensuring the success as the Chairman, I want to remind you that of course training is one, but make sure you have a role for the locals. Subcontractors, vendors, whatever agents, no commission agents, I mean, to work. Because it’s an important industry. It’s a border for sustainable development and yet again, what is the theme offer ASEAN this year for Malaysia? “Inclusivity and sustainability” and this project Green Project covers that sustainability or showcases as a model of sustainable.

19. So again, this is something very exciting for me to support and I must commend, you have worked together, discussed, argued, made demands just reasonable, accommodated one another based on trust, and built this country together.

20. I mean the same as I said as Petronas is working. Yeah, we have resolved a very difficult controversy. The issue is Sarawak, Petronas-Petros a win-win solution. Some people say, “Oh no no, they gain nothing.” They gain only in the shouting, using all these technical arguments to show that they are the champion of the Sabahans. When they are given the power, they entrust your power. They can only give timber and concessions and money but when they are out of power talking about politics they come for the people.

21. We judge people from the action, not mere promises. So, I believe that Sabahans should be matured enough to understand Sabah has to be competitive, focused on the economy. Sabah must focus with all its resources to ensure that you do train, upskill workers, and make the necessary adjustments.

22. You see, I speak this passion, I believe in this. Whatever is being said politically, we continue to have problems and purposes it doesn’t matter, every action is being with them. This morning, I explained about the so-called video which circulated after that and now I’m saying, anything they come and say, “Well, Anwar is only talking about the interest of semenanjung, not Sabah. What else do you want us to do? Engage with us, work as a team. The Federal Federation will only work if we are able to work with all the states including Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah can only succeed if we work and collaborate closely engage and benefit from your engagement with the Federal Government. We don’t want to win just by exhortations or isolation. We win through good engagement in getting things done.

23. I mentioned to the Chairman that we have not move, there is a moratorium steel industry being approved. But why came for Sabah? because number one, it’s green. Number two, it’s less capacity demand for Sabah, Sarawak, Kalimantan and their capacity is a big giant steel company to be able to export.

24. So, some company in Semenanjung would say, “Well, Anwar is discriminating against Malaya and favouring Sabah.” This sort of narrative and political gaming will continue but we decide what is best for the country. We decide what is best, which means no more new steel licensing in this country. We decide, yes, there should be one in Sabah and that’s how we govern this country.

25. So, thank you again, I don’t know what that he gave me last night. There’s a special tenom coffee but thank you again for collaboration Petronas is giving full focus on petroleum skills, PETRONAS Petroleum Skills Institute. That would be the insinuate, because the requirement although that is mainly for the oil and gas sector.

26. So, thank you Ketua Menteri, Hajiji, Chairman and thank you to the state for working together.

Terima kasih.

Oleh Sharifah Hunaini Syed Ismail

KUALA LUMPUR, 20 Mei (Bernama) — Sebagai Pengerusi ASEAN, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dengan jelas menyuarakan pendirian Malaysia — dan perkumpulan serantau itu — sebagai suara utama dalam Selatan Global di samping satu kuasa yang kian menyerlah dan perlu diberi perhatian, menuntut peralihan global daripada dominasi bipolariti kepada perkongsian kuasa yang saksama melalui multipolariti.

Sepanjang lawatan meliputi dari Amerika Selatan hingga Asia Tenggara, dan yang terbaru ke Rusia, mesej jelas Perdana Menteri adalah demi kerjasama Selatan-Selatan yang lebih kukuh untuk menyatukan pengaruh ekonomi dan politik, membolehkan semua negara ini menentukan hala tuju sendiri dan tidak lagi ditentukan oleh Utara atau negara-negara maju.

Gesaan Anwar agar Selatan Global menjadi lebih kukuh adalah tepat pada masanya, memandangkan kalangan ekonomi sedang pesat membangun berkembang dari segi kedudukan dan pengaruh, mencari suara yang lebih besar dalam membentuk agenda ekonomi dan politik global.

Memandangkan Selatan Global membentuk 85 peratus daripada populasi dunia dan menyumbang lebih 40 peratus kepada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) global — bahagian yang terus berkembang — gesaan Selatan Global terhadap kesaksamaan adalah amat wajar.

Sebagai sebahagian daripada strategi itu, Malaysia kini adalah antara sembilan negara rakan BRICS, kumpulan ekonomi yang sedang pesat membangun tidak rasmi.

Keanggotaan BRICS berkembang pantas daripada lima negara anggota asal — Brazil, Rusia, India, China dan Afrika Selatan.

Mesir, Ethiopia, Iran dan Emiriah Arab Bersatu menjadi anggota rasmi pada in 2024, memberikan pengaruhi yang lebih besar kepada kumpulan itu dalam melaksanakan inisiatif ekonomi.

Anwar, yang juga Menteri Kewangan, berkata kuasa penggerak lain selain dorongan Selatan Global oleh Malaysia adalah prinsip masa depan bersama — satu konsep yang telah diterima baik oleh kalangan rakan pemimpin.

Bercakap kepada media Malaysia semasa lawatan beliau ke Rusia dan bertemu Presiden Vladimir Putin baru-baru ini, Perdana Menteri berkata Malaysia kini — dan akan terus — menumpukan kepada usaha memperluas kerjasama serantau dan globalnya susulan peningkatan penjajaran semula geopolitik.

Sejajar kedudukannya sebagai sebuah ekonomi perdagangan terbuka, adalah penting bagi Malaysia untuk terus mencari peluang demi melindungi kepentingan ekonominya.

Gesaan Perdana Menteri di Moscow agar Selatan Global mempunyai suara lebih berpengaruh juga hanya menegaskan hasrat sama yang dilontarkan ketika lawatan negara Presiden China Xi Jinping ke Malaysia pada April lepas.

Di samping itu, Anwar mengukuhkan lagi sokongan Selatan Global membabitkan gesaan pembaharuan dalam sistem kewangan antarabangsa, khususnya Tabung Kewangan Antarabangsa (IMF) dan Pertubuhan Perdagangan Dunia (WTO).

Perdana Menteri menegaskan bahawa IMF dan WTO perlu merombak struktur kewangan antarabangsa bagi menyokong perdagangan bebas tanpa sebarang bentuk diskriminasi terhadap negara-negara kecil.

“Kebangkitan dasar perlindungan sudah bermula, malah dalam kalangan negara-negara Kumpulan 20 (G20) yang pada asalnya merupakan penyokong prinsip-prinsip perdagangan bebas.

“Inilah sebabnya kita mencadangkan supaya IMF melaksanakan pembaharuan struktur kewangan dan agar WTO menyokong perdagangan bebas tanpa diskriminasi ke atas negara-negara lebih kecil,” kata beliau.

Pada masa sama, Anwar berkata Putrajaya kekal komited terhadap usaha memupuk perkongsian pertumbuhan, mengukuhkan kerjasama serantau dan terus terbuka kepada perdagangan dan pembangunan.

“Kita akan terus menggalakkan pendekatan terangkum dan mampan ke atas keamanan dan keselamatan, baik di peringkat rantau dan melangkauinya,” kata Anwar.

Sejajar peranan sebagai pengerusi ASEAN, Malaysia akan berusaha menggiatkan semula platform seperti ASEAN+3 (China, Jepun dan Korea Selatan) dan Sidang Kemuncak Asia Timur iaitu satu-satunya forum serantau bagi dialog strategik dan keselamatan yang menghimpunkan kuasa bersaing dalam persekitaran berkecuali dan membina, kata Anwar dalam rencana diterbitkan oleh Project Syndicate, sebuah organisasi pelbagai akhbar yang bukan bermotifkan keuntungan.

Sidang Kemuncak ASEAN-Majlis Kerjasama Teluk (GCC) akan datang yang merangkumi 10 negara Asia Tenggara dan enam negara Timur Tengah yang kaya sumber minyak, dijangka meningkatkan lagi kerjasama dalam kalangan Selatan Global.

Perhimpunan itu juga mengetengahkan peluang besar untuk menarik penglibatan rakan dagang utama ASEAN selain menegaskan lagi komitmen perkumpulan itu kepada kerjasama pelbagai hala yang berpaksikan undang-undang, khususnya ketika ASEAN, BRICS dan Selatan Global secara amnya berkongsi pendirian sama dalam menolak tindak-tanduk unilateral atau sepihak.

— BERNAMA

TAG: Anwar Ibrahim, Rusia, ASEAN, Selatan Global

SHI SM MR AHA ZAZ INA

Monday , 19 May 2025

Dalam keghairahan menggapai ke langit, harus mengakar ke bumi