BEIJING: The 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits kicked off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability.”
Nearly two dozen world leaders are descending on the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur for a three-day event from Sunday to Tuesday, along with multiple other meetings on the sidelines, to tackle issues ranging from trade to global conflicts, media reported.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to attend the leaders’ meetings on East Asian cooperation in Malaysia. At the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, ASEAN’s rotating chair, Li is scheduled to attend the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the 20th East Asia Summit and the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders’ Meeting, according to Xinhua News Agency.
US President Donald Trump, Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are slated to attend the meetings, according to the Straits Times.
Timor-Leste has been welcomed into ASEAN as the bloc’s 11th member, following an official ceremony on Sunday.
Timor-Leste first applied for ASEAN membership in 2011, and becomes ASEAN’s 11th member state after 14-year journey, marking the bloc’s first expansion since 1999.
On the same day, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed an expanded ceasefire deal in Kuala Lumpur, at a ceasefire ceremony in front of a sign that read “Delivering Peace,” building on a truce signed three months ago, Reuters reported.
According to Malaysian National News Agency, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in his opening speech today, said that 2025 posed new tests for ASEAN as global uncertainties continue to mount, with shifting geopolitical dynamics and economic disruptions challenging the region’s resilience and collective resolve. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
“Across regions, we see rising contestation and growing uncertainty. These crosswinds test not only our economies but also our collective resolve to keep faith in cooperation — to believe that understanding and dialogue can still prevail in a divided age,” he said, the report said.
He also said that despite these challenges, ASEAN’s strength lies in its diversity and enduring commitment to respect and reason, values that continue to bind the region together.
Anwar said Timor-Leste’s place here completes the ASEAN family — reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship. Within this community, Timor-Leste’s development and its strategic autonomy will find firm and lasting support,” he said, Malay Mail reported.
ASEAN, established in 1967, now comprises 11 members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.
Under the complex international political and economic landscape, this year’s ASEAN Summit is also expected to focus on issues including security and trade, Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times.
