MALAYSIA URGES STRONGER ASEAN-CHINA SOLIDARITY IN NAVIGATING GLOBAL CHALLENGES

From Zarul Effendi Razali

FUZHOU (China), Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has called for ASEAN and China to stand in solidarity amid a rapidly evolving global environment, urging both sides to uphold Asian values to safeguard regional peace and stability.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of ASEAN-China Week 2025 on Monday, Malaysian Senate President Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah said the current international landscape characterised by economic fragmentation, technological disruption, and strains on the multilateral rules-based order, requires ASEAN and China to reinforce their long-standing cooperation.

He stressed that unity and shared purposes are essential in responding to these challenges.

“ASEAN and China must stand in solidarity,” he said, calling for both sides to champion the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness to inject greater stability and certainty into the region.

Awang Bemee said Malaysia sees ASEAN centrality as vital in maintaining balanced and constructive engagement during this period of strategic competition.

He noted that regional challenges cannot be addressed by unilateral actions or external prescriptions, but must be met through dialogue, consensus-building, and respect for international law, including the United Nations Charter.

Awang Bemee said principles embedded in ASEAN’s history offer important guidance and recalled the relevance of the 1955 Bandung Conference on its 70th anniversary this year.

“This ‘Bandung Spirit’ resonates deeply within ASEAN’s own foundational document, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia,” he added.

He said the spirit of cooperation and peaceful coexistence must continue to anchor the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, especially as both sides navigate complex global headwinds.

Awang Bemee also pointed to the complementarity between ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and China’s modernisation agenda, noting that both frameworks aim for a peaceful, stable, and people-centred region.

He said aligned development priorities, such as the digital economy, green technology, and artificial intelligence, should be harnessed to advance shared resilience and regional confidence.

Meanwhile, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) Secretary-General Shi Zhongjun pointed out that people-to-people movement between China and ASEAN is on the rise, supported by the implementation of the “ASEAN Visa”.

He said for the first eight months of this year, the number of people exchanges between Chinese mainland and ASEAN countries had exceeded 25.244 million, a year-on-year increase of 11.2 per cent.

He also noted that bilateral trade surged from less than US$8 billion to US$982.3 billion in 2024, making ASEAN and China each other’s largest trading partners.

“Recently, leaders witnessed the signing of the China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, marking a new journey for economic and trade cooperation,” he said.

He added that major infrastructure projects, such as the China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, reflected the strength of the partnership.

Co-hosted by the ACC and the Fujian Provincial People’s Government, the three-day ASEAN-China Week 2025 officially commences on Nov 17 under the theme “Our Shared Future: Bridging ASEAN 2045 and Chinese Modernisation.”

The event aims to showcase the thriving Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and ASEAN, while serving as a platform for strengthening mutual understanding, win-win cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

-- BERNAMA