Since its founding in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean ) has cultivated a reputation for trust and dialogue that has made the region synonymous with peace, stability, and dynamism. The achievements of our ten member states – soon to be eleven with Timor-Leste’s expected admission later in 2025 – are rooted in a culture of consensus, open communication and solidarity. This tradition of cooperation has enabled Asean to manage tensions, prevent conflict and nurture prosperity across one of the world’s most diverse regions.

Asean’s spirit of solidarity was tested recently when Malaysia, the group’s current chair, convened the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand amid violent clashes along their border. Through careful listening, principled mediation and the constructive involvement of both the United States and China, the parties secured an immediate ceasefire. The episode reaffirmed not only the enduring value of dialogue and mutual respect but also the confidence that Asean’s citizens place in the association as a custodian of peace and stability.

As great-power rivalries escalate, geoeconomic competition intensifies and confidence in multilateralism erodes, Asean faces a changed world. In such an environment, Asean’s centrality is not merely a diplomatic aspiration – it is an existential necessity.

Established amid the turbulence of the Cold War, Asean has long stood for peace, neutrality and stability. The 46th Asean Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur in May, reaffirmed that mission while marking a historic milestone: the unanimous decision to welcome Timor-Leste as our eleventh member, deepening Asean’s commitment to inclusivity and unity.

Preserving Asean’s autonomy – the ability to speak with one voice rather than being spoken for – requires vigilance. It demands that we hold fast to the values of patience and steady diplomacy that have long underpinned the regional order.

With a population of 660 million, Asean is one of the world’s most dynamic markets. To realize its potential, however, the region must narrow development gaps and forge stronger, more equitable linkages among member states. At the 47th Asean Summit this October, also in Kuala Lumpur, we will advance efforts to dismantle tariff and non-tariff barriers and renew our commitment to trade that delivers inclusive, sustainable benefits.

As protectionism rises and tariff wars threaten global growth, Asean must chart a different path and build resilience through openness and reform. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ( RCEP ), the largest trade agreement in history, anchors our regional economic architecture. Its effective implementation is vital to ensuring tangible opportunities for our people and sustained prosperity for our economies.

At the same time, Asean must broaden its global partnerships. Our landmark Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council-China Summit earlier this year, alongside ongoing efforts to modernize agreements with China, India and South Korea, underscores our readiness to build bridges well beyond our immediate neighbourhood. With the digital economy set to drive Asean’s next phase of growth, concluding the Asean Digital Economy Framework has become an urgent priority, particularly amid intensifying competition for leadership in AI and other transformative technologies.

These initiatives – covering trade, technology, and connectivity – serve a single overriding purpose: safeguarding Asean’s autonomy in an era of uncertainty. At our May summit, Asean leaders warned against unilateral trade measures, retaliatory tariffs and growing fragmentation. Our response to these global threats must be a renewed commitment to openness, reform, and a rules-based trading system.

Economic openness fosters resilience and reform. Fragmentation, by contrast, drives up costs, discourages investment and increases vulnerability to shocks. Currency volatility, sudden capital flight, and disruptions to food, energy, and raw-material supply chains quickly spill across borders, destabilizing societies. While globalization has its flaws, it has also created interdependence through shared interests, curbing reckless unilateralism.

That restraint is more necessary than ever in the face of climate change. Embedding sustainability in Asean’s economic agenda is now an urgent imperative. The acceleration of the Asean Power Grid exemplifies our determination to invest in clean energy, generate green jobs, and achieve long-term energy security. Business as usual is no longer an option; bold action today is the price of a just and sustainable tomorrow.

In an increasingly unpredictable world, Asean’s fortunes will rise or fall together. We must therefore strengthen our cohesion by revitalizing longstanding geostrategic frameworks, such as the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, and by reinforcing Asean-led mechanisms like the East Asia Summit and the Asean Regional Forum. These platforms remain indispensable for dialogue, trust-building, and preventive diplomacy.

The Asean-GCC Summit, along with our new trilateral initiative with the GCC and China, represents a bold step toward aligning Southeast Asia’s talent and energy needs with Gulf capital and China’s global reach. The newly established Asean Geoeconomics Task Force will further strengthen our capacity to respond collectively in times of volatility and uncertainty.

Asean cannot dictate the course of global events, but neither must we resign ourselves to passivity. We can, and we must, shape our own future with courage, foresight and solidarity. By staying true to its founding values while adapting to new realities, Asean can remain a beacon of peace, prosperity and progress for generations to come.

Anwar Ibrahim is the Prime Minister and minister of finance of Malaysia.

Copyright: Project Syndicate