MALAYSIA is intensifying efforts to advance the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) and uphold the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Speaking via a keynote address delivered on his behalf by Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) chief executive Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid at the ASEAN Business Forum 2025, Tengku Zafrul underscored Malaysia’s growing emphasis on strategic diplomacy and economic cooperation across regions.
“The recent ASEAN–GCC–China Summit has also positioned our region as a bridge between Asia, the Middle East, and beyond,” he said. “This trilateral partnership offers an opportunity to combine China’s technology and infrastructure capacity, the GCC’s energy and capital, and ASEAN’s market and industrial dynamism into a new engine for growth and resilience.”
Tengku Zafrul highlighted the operationalisation of the newly formed ASEAN Geoeconomics Task Force, which Malaysia co-chairs with Indonesia. The task force is tasked with delivering real-time economic analysis, scenario modelling, and policy coordination aimed at helping ASEAN navigate economic uncertainties.
“Additionally, our ministers have reaffirmed an unwavering commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core,” he said. “Our joint statements underscore a mature, forward-looking approach as ASEAN will respond to external shocks not with retaliation, but with deeper engagement, open dialogue, and collective solutions.”
Addressing the broader geopolitical context, Tengku Zafrul asserted that ASEAN’s enduring strength lies in its unity and pragmatic cooperation.
“As the world undergoes a profound realignment, ASEAN’s unity and centrality matter more than ever,” he added. “From the Asian Financial Crisis to the pandemic to the present day, ASEAN has shown the world that collective action, trust, and shared purpose are the bedrock of our success.” - May 29, 2025
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