OPENING REMARKS : THE FIFTY-SEVENTH MEETING OF THE ASEAN ECONOMIC MINISTERS (57th AEM)
23 September 2025
Ballroom, Level 3
Malaysia International Trade and
Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur
Opening Remarks
Your Excellencies, esteemed AEM colleagues, Indicative AEM of Timor-Leste, His Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn – Secretary-General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
We have now reached the main meeting in today’s series of meetings, which is the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Meeting.
Once again, my heartiest welcome to Your Excellencies and delegation to MITEC, Kuala Lumpur. I am honoured and grateful for the attendance of Your Excellencies in convening this meeting which will be our final ASEAN Caucus before we kickstart the Consultations between AEM and our Dialogue Partners (DPs) beginning tomorrow.
ASEAN Integration Amid Global Challenges
Your Excellencies,
We gather at a vital time for our region and the global economy – a time of both great challenges and opportunities. It is evident in our discourse throughout the series of meetings we had today, that while the global economic climate may seem to be hanging in a balance, our region remains unwavering and resolved in standing united and open for cooperation and collaboration, may it be intra-ASEAN or with other economies. Our journey over the decades has, time and again, shown that our act of standing and working together has maintained ASEAN’s edge as a resilient and thriving economic community enabling us to advance prosperity for our people.
Today, we face a world of heightened economic uncertainties, from slower growth forecasts to geopolitical tensions and the troubling rise of protectionism, with selective tariffs and trade measures eroding the foundations of the rules-based global trade order. Yet ASEAN chooses a different path. Through the Special AEM Meeting that we convened in April 2025, we sent a signal to the world that instead of deploying approaches that are insular or retaliatory, ASEAN stood firm that open communication, integration and cooperation are the pathways to shared prosperity and safeguarding our region’s economic stability, resilience and long-term growth.
We have learned from past crises that deeper cooperation is the key to resilience and growth. After the trials of the late 1990s and the global financial crisis, sound policies paired with regional integration enabled ASEAN to emerge stronger and more connected. The AEC has come a long way – following the narrative of the AEC Blueprint 2015 and 2025 in making ASEAN a seamless single production and investment hub, we strived towards becoming a region that promotes the free flow of goods, services, capital and innovation. To this end, we have successfully concluded negotiations in upgrading the ATIGA to further reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers for intra-ASEAN trade. In addition, we are also on track to conclude the ASEAN DEFA by the end 2025, aligning digital rules and standards to boost cross-border e-commerce and payments. Both these endeavours will certainly make it easier for our businesses to operate across the region and significantly increase trade among Member States. In short, a more integrated ASEAN is our best response to an uncertain world.
Strengthening Strategic Trade Partnerships
Your Excellencies,
As we strengthen our internal integration, we also recognise that our region’s prosperity has always been tied to the wider world. Our community’s economic success is built on openness and connectivity with global partners. I believe Your Excellencies agree with me that ASEAN will continue to build bridges – not walls – with our key trading partners, by remaining committed to a rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. Let us continue to do our part to uphold free, fair and non-discriminatory trade, while cushioning the risks of being at the mercy of larger economies.
Indeed, ASEAN’s centrality in global trade has never been more apparent. The RCEP – now in effect – has created the world’s largest free trade area encompassing approximately 30% of global GDP, with ASEAN at its center. We are also actively deepening strategic trade relations with new economies with the latest example being our readiness to consider a FTA between ASEAN and the GCC. This builds on the new ASEAN-GCC Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation that Malaysia helped spearhead and announced during the recent 46th ASEAN Summit, focusing on key sectors like finance, food security and energy.
In the same breath, we are also strengthening economic ties with our existing Dialogue Partners through the upgrading of several ASEAN Plus 1 FTAs such as the ASEAN-China FTA 3.0; the AITIGA Review; and soon the ASEAN-Korea FTA upgrade. We are also exploring meaningful engagements with new trading blocs, one (1) of them being a dialogue between ASEAN and the member economies of the CPTPP, to discuss areas of mutual interest. These initiatives reinforce a diversified, robust network of trade relations for ASEAN.
Our message to the world is clear, we are open for business and investment, and will remain as so. We will work with all partners – old and new, East and West – to secure diverse markets for our goods and services, and also reinforce our standing as a cornerstone of global trade.
Collective Support for Priority Economic Deliverables
Your Excellencies,
As ASEAN Chair this year, Malaysia has introduced 18 PEDs anchored by four (4) Strategic Thrusts. These priorities were carefully curated to reflect a holistic and forward-looking approach to ASEAN’s economic growth, while addressing key regional challenges and opportunities of our time. From facilitating smoother intra-ASEAN trade and investing in green growth, to improving our trade agreements and rolling out region-wide digital frameworks, the PEDs cover the critical ingredients of ASEAN’s future success.
Now, as we enter the final stretch of Malaysia’s Chairmanship year, I urge all of us to rally behind these deliverables and see them to completion. Some have been completed and many are nearing completion, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our officials and Sectoral Bodies. With continued collective support, we can deliver concrete outcomes by year’s end. Doing so will send a powerful signal that ASEAN not only makes plans but also delivers results for our businesses and citizens.
I am confident that with unity and political will, we will check-off all our PEDs on schedule. Together, we will ensure that ASEAN’s economic future is not just about growth, but also about sustainable, inclusive prosperity for all our people.
Conclusion: A Vision for ASEAN’s Economic Future
Your Excellencies,
This meeting is not only about addressing present tasks, but also about charting the longer-term vision of the AEC. The end of 2025 will mark the completion of the AEC 2025 Blueprint and the rolling out of the AEC Strategic Plan 2026-2030 – part 1 of a series of 4 AEC Strategic Plans under the “ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Vision”. I look forward to facilitating our discussion on our future works under the AEC later on.
We also look forward to welcoming Timor-Leste as our newest member in due course, expanding our ASEAN family and market. In this regard, I would like to welcome Timor-Leste’s participation in today’s AEM discourse per the Revised Guidelines adopted by the 35th ASEAN Coordinating Council.
Your Excellencies,
I am optimistic that we will have a fruitful discussion this afternoon. ASEAN’s future will be what we forge together – a future of shared prosperity, resilience, and leadership in the global economy. Together, let us move with confidence and purpose, knowing that the choices we make today will shape the ASEAN of tomorrow.
Thank you.
I would now like to invite all Ministers, Leads and the Secretary-General of ASEAN for the official photo session.
--BERNAMA