Malaysia will officially take over the ASEAN chairmanship on January 1, 2025. The country’s Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan said Malaysia is committed to strengthening peace, stability and prosperity within the region.
Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship will give attention to inclusiveness and sustainable development, leveraging these in its efforts to construct a regional community. Previously, Malaysia chaired ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
These are the three fundamental challenges that Malaysia’s ASEAN must address in 2025:
Crisis in Burma
The political turmoil in Myanmar triggered by a 2021 military coup over vote-rigging allegations against human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi has tested ASEAN’s resilience and cohesion. ASEAN has faced criticism over its handling of the crisis because the bloc’s members were divided over how one can reply to the situation.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore insisted on dialogue, while Thailand and Laos considered the political tension in Burma to be an internal matter. The five-point consensus didn’t restore peace and stability.
Malaysia, as the long run ASEAN chairmanship, can launch a dialogue involving a smaller coalition of interested ASEAN countries to push for the peace process.
Trump’s trade policy
As the slogan of “Make America Great Again” returns, ASEAN must prepare to take care of import tariffs that will likely be imposed by next US President Donald Trump, on condition that the 78-year-old billionaire is prone to impose tariffs more aggressively than during his previous term.
Trump’s tariffs will severely affect entities that rely heavily on exports to the US, akin to Vietnam. Therefore, ASEAN can reduce its dependence on the US market by diversifying its trading partners.
In addition, ASEAN can strengthen trade initiatives throughout the bloc, akin to the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Climate change
As Malaysia focuses on sustainable development during its ASEAN chairmanship, climate change have to be one in all the fundamental issues that ASEAN must address.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Southeast Asia is one in all the regions vulnerable to climate change as a consequence of its location near the equator and low-lying areas, in addition to its high dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs.
Therefore, cooperation to advertise renewable energy and joint efforts to mitigate the consequences of natural disasters can reduce the impact of climate change.
