The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Member states also reviewed progress on six priority areas for 2025, including the development of an underground cable framework, the follow-up agreement to the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA), the launch of the ASEAN Energy Efficiency Database, and the rollout of an investment platform for sustainable building initiatives.
The 2025 ASEAN- the Republic of Korea (RoK) Connectivity Forum that opened in Jakarta on June 17 reaffirmed a shared commitment to shaping a connected, resilient future by advancing the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan.
Thailand will accelerate negotiations to finalise the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) by the end of 2025, in a bid to promote ASEAN as a digital hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
He expressed confidence that the discussions would deliver tangible progress aligned with Malaysia’s Priority Economic Deliverables and ASEAN’s 2025 priorities, particularly on key initiatives such as the ASEAN’s Power Grid Memorandum of Understanding and the Terms of Reference for the Subsea Power Cable Development Framework.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam said he hopes that the Canberra administration will continue welcoming Vietnamese delegations for visits and working sessions, viewing such exchanges as vital for enhancing cooperation and understanding between the two nations.
The Argentine Chamber of Deputies and the ASEAN Committee in Buenos Aires co-hosted a seminar aimed at strengthening parliamentary cooperation between Argentina and ASEAN. The event was initiated by the Vietnamese Embassy, which currently holds the committee’s rotating chairmanship.
Outbound shipments to the ASEAN region came to 47.88 billion USD in the January-May period, up 4.3% from the same period last year, according to data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).
ASEAN is a peaceful region, which makes it a conducive location for foreign direct investment and business ventures that can come from across the globe, said the chief economist of Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad.
According to the earlier US tariff announcement, Cambodia encounters the highest rates of 49%, followed by Laos (48%), Vietnam (46%), Myanmar (44%), Thailand (36%), and Indonesia (32%). Meanwhile, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Singapore face lower rates ranging from 10% to 24%.
Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz described the plan as a "blueprint for regional economic transformation" that will drive sustainable growth and deeper integration.
An official the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the resilience of the ASEAN Plus 3, EAS, and ARF frameworks through crises, including the 1997 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador Ngo Minh Nguyet highlighted the significance of partnership between ASEAN and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) amid complexities of today's global landscape.
AIPA President and Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Tan Sri Johari Abdul said that a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released on May 28 warned that ASEAN youth are facing emerging threats from synthetic drugs, especially when they are disguised in products such as e-cigarettes.
At their meeting, the two leaders also discussed ASEAN-EU cooperation and appreciated the results achieved, especially the progress in the negotiations of the ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
