KUALA LUMPUR, 24 October 2025 — Malaysia is poised to deepen the influence of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the global stage as it chairs the bloc in 2025, at a time of heightened geopolitical flux and intense external pressures.
Taking the chairmanship under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, Malaysia has signalled a shift from a traditionally inward-looking regional organisation toward a more outward-facing and proactive ASEAN, one that aims to punch above its weight in international affairs.
Strategic Imperatives
Malaysia’s leadership of ASEAN comes amid converging regional challenges: rising U.S.–China strategic competition, instability in Myanmar, territorial tensions in the South China Sea, and global trade- and supply-chain shifts. By guiding ASEAN’s agenda this year, Malaysia is seeking to bolster the bloc’s centrality and present a unified regional voice.
In remarks cited by the local press, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan underscored that the country’s chairmanship reflects a commitment to ensuring that ASEAN speaks “with one voice” on global matters, and is better equipped to engage major powers, multilateral institutions and emerging global challenges.
Opportunities and Challenges
By steering ASEAN’s diplomacy, Malaysia has several opportunities:
- Leveraging chairmanship: Malaysia can shape summit agendas, set regional priorities and drive consensus on key issues.
- Raising ASEAN’s profile: As chair, Malaysia can showcase ASEAN not just as a trading bloc, but as a serious global actor on security, economic, and sustainability fronts.
- Boosting external partnerships: The chair year enables Malaysia to position ASEAN as a preferred partner for major powers and multilateral platforms seeking engagement in Southeast Asia.
Yet the challenges are real:
- Internal divisions: ASEAN members differ widely on foreign-policy alignments, economic development and security priorities, generating friction when trying to present unified positions.
- Credibility test: Some observers note that ASEAN has struggled in recent years to respond effectively to crises (e.g., Myanmar, South China Sea) and question whether this chairmanship can deliver tangible influence.
- External expectations: As ASEAN seeks a stronger global voice, it must balance great-power rivalry without being drawn into strategic competition between U.S., China, and other players.
Significance for Asian Perspective
For the Asia-Pacific region, Malaysia’s chairmanship and ambition for ASEAN matter because:
- It shows Southeast Asia’s own agency, ASEAN is less a passive observer and more an actor trying to chart its path amid shifting global dynamics.
- It underlines the importance of regional groupings in global diplomacy, a stronger ASEAN could contribute to global governance, supply-chain resilience, climate action and regional stability.
- It sets a precedent for other middle-power countries in Asia: chairing regional forums can be leveraged to climb diplomatic value-chains and exercise soft power.
