PREPARATIONS for China to formally sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) protocol are proceeding smoothly, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who confirmed that the documentation process is “progressing well”.
Speaking at a press conference at Malaysia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Saturday, Mohamad noted that while the signing process remains complex, the current trajectory is encouraging.
“The progress has been very good so far. In fact, China’s earlier decision to express its readiness to sign the SEANWFZ protocol without any conditions is something we in ASEAN warmly welcome,” he said.
“Following China’s statement, other countries, including the United States, have also begun expressing interest in signing the protocol without attaching conditions,” he added.
Mohamad made the remarks after delivering Malaysia’s National Statement during the General Debate of the 2025 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
At the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur in July, China had formally pledged to sign the SEANWFZ Treaty unconditionally. The signing is expected to take place once the necessary legal and procedural documentation is complete.
The SEANWFZ Treaty, also known as the Bangkok Treaty, was signed in December 1995 by all ten ASEAN member states and entered into force in March 1997. The treaty affirms Southeast Asia’s collective commitment to remaining free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
SEANWFZ is one of five such Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs) globally, alongside those established in Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Africa, and Central Asia. - September 28, 2025
