KUALA LUMPUR, 26 October 2025 — Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim officially opened the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) this morning, calling on regional leaders to strengthen ASEAN’s unity, renew its purpose, and reaffirm its role as an anchor of peace and cooperation in an unsettled world.
“Leadership is never a matter of routine — it is a matter of choice: to define priorities, renew ASEAN’s sense of purpose, and chart a course worthy of our peoples’ hopes,” Anwar said in his opening remarks.
A Defining Year for ASEAN
Addressing heads of government and global guests, Anwar acknowledged that 2025 marks a turning point for the region as shifting geopolitics, trade tensions, and economic fragmentation test ASEAN’s resilience.
“The old order is no longer certain, and the new one not yet defined,” he said. “These crosswinds test not only our economies, but our collective resolve to keep faith in cooperation.”
He highlighted that ASEAN’s strength lies “not in uniformity, but in the conviction that respect, and reason still bind us together.”
The Prime Minister cited the Cambodia–Thailand peace agreement, signed later in the morning, as proof that ASEAN-led dialogue can yield real results:
“Reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage — and peace, once chosen, can reshape the future of nations.”
Vision 2045 and the Admission of Timor-Leste
Anwar reaffirmed the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, adopted in May 2025, as the blueprint for a more resilient and inclusive regional future.
He welcomed Timor-Leste’s historic admission as the bloc’s 11th member, describing it as a “completion of the ASEAN family” that strengthens regional kinship and strategic autonomy.
Economic Integration, Energy and Digital Cooperation
Anwar outlined several key deliverables to be launched during the summit:
- Upgraded ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) — to create a seamless regional market and enhance competitiveness.
- ASEAN Power Grid (APG) Financing Facility — to accelerate the transition toward cleaner, more secure energy.
- ASEAN Blue Economy Framework and Regional EV Ecosystem — to drive sustainable industrial and green growth.
- ASEAN Digital Economic Framework Agreement (DEFA) — fast-tracked to 2026, to support the region’s US$2 trillion digital economy by 2030.
- ASEAN AI Safety Network (AI SAFE) — a new initiative to embed ethics and governance in artificial intelligence development.
“Technology must remain our servant, not our master,” Anwar said, announcing the AI SAFE network as a regional safeguard for responsible innovation.
Strengthening Partnerships Beyond ASEAN
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of global partnerships in sustaining ASEAN’s role as a bridge between regions.
Malaysia hosted the 2nd ASEAN–GCC Summit and the ASEAN–GCC–China Summit earlier this year and will chair the 5th RCEP Leaders’ Summit tomorrow.
He also welcomed Brazil and South Africa as Guests of the Chair to the 20th East Asia Summit, describing their inclusion as a milestone in ASEAN’s engagement with the BRICS and G20, and its broader connection to the Global South.
“The Future Will Be Written by Choice”
Concluding his address, Anwar delivered a message of shared destiny and responsibility:
“The future of ASEAN will not be written by circumstance. It will be written by choice — by the choices we make today.”
With that, he formally declared the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits open, marking the culmination of Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability.”
