Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is all set to attend the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit happening in Kuala Lumpur from Monday to Tuesday. The summit, which will be the first of two hosted by Malaysia as this year’s ASEAN chair, will focus on the theme of Inclusivity and Sustainability. This theme highlights the forward-looking agenda and priorities in building a united and resilient ASEAN amid geopolitical and economic challenges.
Leaders at the summit will reaffirm their commitment to ASEAN’s integration and community building efforts. They will also discuss ways to promote a free, open, and inclusive regional architecture within the 10-member bloc and with external partners. The discussions will also touch on strengthening ASEAN’s resilience by making trade within the region more seamless and exploring new growth areas like the digital and green economies. Additionally, there will be talks on expanding ASEAN’s engagement with external partners, particularly with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China at the ASEAN-GCC summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China summit.
The summit comes at a crucial time as the global economic and trade environment faces uncertainty due to United States President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. Many of Southeast Asia’s trade-dependent economies were hit hard by these tariffs, which were announced on Apr 2. While the tariffs have been paused for 90 days since Apr 9, the threat of economic upheaval still looms over the region. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for a joint ASEAN action plan to address this growing tariff threat, emphasizing the need for a united front. For this summit, Prime Minister Wong will be accompanied by his wife, Ms. Loo Tze Lui, and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be the Acting Prime Minister on May 25 and May 26, with Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam taking over on May 27.
