Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges including economic headwinds from US tariffs and a four-year civil war in Myanmar.
Opening an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was seeking a unified bloc meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss the tariffs.
Officials are hopeful it could happen later this year. Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN.
“For ASEAN, our peace, stability and prosperity have often depended on an open, inclusive, rules-based international order … These foundations are now being dismantled under the force of arbitrary action,” Anwar said.
ASEAN has formed a taskforce to co-ordinate a response to the US tariffs in parallel with bilateral negotiations by some member countries, Anwar said.
ASEAN members include bigger economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as ones like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
The region relies on exports to the US and is hurt by the Trump administration’s tariffs, which range from 10 per cent for Singapore to as high as 49 per cent for Cambodia.
Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs in April for most of the world, and this month struck a similar deal with key rival China, easing trade war tensions.
Anwar said an ASEAN leaders’ meeting on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) — the first such tripartite meeting — would spur new co-operation that could help insulate ASEAN’s economy. The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The bloc later Monday will launch a new 20-year vision to deepen their economic and social integration, Anwar said.
Anwar also said Malaysia has managed to “move the needle forward” in efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis after forming an informal advisory group headed by former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
Officials said the current emphasis on aid delivery following a March earthquake that killed 3700 people could eventually pave the way for peace talks. But critics accuse the army of violating a self-proclaimed ceasefire with dozens of airstrikes, with aid not freely allowed into areas not under the army’s control.
The Myanmar war, which has killed thousands and displaced millions, is a challenge to ASEAN since refugees have fled across borders to neighbouring nations.
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