ARMED CONFLICTS, ECONOMIC WEAPONISATION AMONG KEY CHALLENGES IN WISMA PUTRA'S 2026-2030 PLAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 (Bernama) — Malaysia's Foreign Ministry has identified seven major issues and challenges in formulating its Strategic Plan 2026-2030, including armed conflicts, major power rivalry, and economic weaponisation, among others, as key concerns in shaping the country’s foreign policy direction.

Wisma Putra said that security pressures are intensifying amid escalating tensions stemming from overlapping border and maritime disputes, particularly in a global environment marked by regional instability, ongoing humanitarian crises, and the prolonged effects of illegal occupations and blatant violations of territorial integrity.

According to its Strategic Plan 2026–2030 released on Monday, these dynamics risk normalising confrontations, eroding adherence to international law, and threatening access to vital resources.

“The current rearmament trend has emerged as a critical global challenge, fuelling regional insecurity, heightening the risk of armed conflict and diverting resources away from humanitarian and development priorities,” it said.

In such an environment, the document noted that diplomacy is weakened and crisis response capacities are stretched thin.

Thus, the ministry will enhance crisis preparedness for Malaysians abroad, including improved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), emergency funds, and consular assistance, as one of its strategies to address this challenge.

Meanwhile, Wisma Putra noted in the strategic plan that rivalries among major powers are increasingly shaping the regional landscape, with smaller states often caught in the crosscurrents of strategic competition.

“These dynamics risk undermining autonomy in decision-making while challenging regional cooperation and stability,” it said, cautioning that over-reliance on a few external partners undermines resilience and hampers the pursuit of a well-balanced and independent foreign policy.

Economic weaponisation is also flagged as a growing threat to Malaysia’s trade-dependent economy, noting that global trade is increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, with disruptions threatening supply chains and market stability.

It said that over-reliance on major economic powers for trade and investment adds to these risks, limiting economic flexibility and resilience, while reshoring and diversification trends among global industries pose challenges to competitiveness as companies redirect production to home markets or alternative hubs.

To counter this challenge, Malaysia will broaden and diversify trade and investment links to enhance resilience and safeguard its economic sovereignty, as well as accelerate free trade agreements (FTAs).

Climate change-induced resource scarcity is identified as another pressing challenge. The Ministry observes that rising competition over scarce resources such as food, water, and energy is intensifying pressures on national and regional stability.

“Climate change is exacerbating these vulnerabilities, driving displacement and instability that spill across borders,” the document stated, adding that the regional cooperation on adaptation remains limited, hindering collective resilience and the ability to respond effectively to shared environmental challenges.

Beyond these four primary concerns, the Strategic Plan also outlines challenges arising from cross-border terrorism, violent extremism, and transnational crimes; the rapid development of new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI); as well as the transformation of global institutions and governance structures.

Collectively, the seven issues and challenges form the strategic backdrop against which Malaysia’s foreign policy will be executed from 2026 to 2030, as Wisma Putra seeks to safeguard national sovereignty, strengthen resilience, and enhance Malaysia’s role in an increasingly complex international landscape.

-- BERNAMA