At the last day of the of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim handed over the chairmanship gavel to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a symbolic handover marking the Philippines’s assumption of the Asean chairmanship next year.
Considering that Malaysia's stint as the ASEAN chair is coming to an end, how can we rate Malaysia's performance?
Well, for all the criticism Anwar may face on the domestic front, one thing is certain: on the regional and international stage, he delivered — and delivered impressively. Under Malaysia’s leadership, ASEAN not only found its diplomatic voice again but also navigated an increasingly volatile global landscape with rare finesse.
As an icing on the cake, we also finished our stint with an incredibly successful 47th ASEAN summit, the biggest summit that the bloc has seen since 1976.
Our stint as the the chairman of ASEAN was so successful, that even the flamboyant American President Donald J Trump decided to drop by Malaysia as we close the curtain on our stint.
That our stint was able to attract the attention of the American president, the biggest man on the planet today, should itself tell you of just how successful our stint as the Chairman of ASEAN has been.
Restoring ASEAN’s Influence
From brokering peace between Thailand and Cambodia — two nations whose long-running border feud has claimed dozens of lives — to balancing ASEAN’s relationships with China, the United States, and Russia amid global tension, Malaysia led by Anwar has managed to project both pragmatism and assertiveness.
The signing of the Cambodia–Thailand Peace Pact on the sidelines of the summit, co-presided by Anwar and U.S. President Donald Trump, was symbolic of Malaysia’s ability to act as both mediator and stabilizer in a region often torn between great power rivalries.
While we were at it, we also managed to presided over the formal induction of Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11th member, marking a historic expansion of the bloc and a symbolic affirmation of ASEAN’s inclusivity and regional solidarity.
An ASEAN Back in the Global Spotlight
This year’s ASEAN Summit also brought Kuala Lumpur to the centre of the world’s attention. Nearly two dozen world leaders descended on the Malaysian capital for the three-day event, including Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, and New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon.
ASEAN leaders including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and Timor-Leste President Jose Alexandre Gusmao were also in attendance to mark the curtain call on Malaysia's stint as the ASEAN Chair
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi while not attending in person, participated virtually.
Other confirmed attendees include Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Navigating the Great Power Chessboard
The summit took place against the backdrop of escalating U.S.–China trade tensions, with Trump’s “Liberation Day Tariffs” and China’s countermeasures on rare earth exports reshaping global trade flows.
Anwar’s chairmanship ensured ASEAN maintained a delicate balance — securing space for regional economies to negotiate fairer terms with both Washington and Beijing without being forced into a binary choice.
A Malaysian Moment of Pride
Under Anwar’s stewardship, Malaysia not only burnished its diplomatic credentials but also hosted one of the most successful ASEAN summits in decades.
Kuala Lumpur thrummed with the energy of global diplomacy — a rare moment when Malaysia’s leadership was viewed not as a bystander but as a centre-stage convener of peace, trade, and dialogue.
The event’s flawless logistics, high-level participation, and tangible outcomes have set a high benchmark for the next ASEAN chair, the Philippines, to follow.
A Tough Act to Follow
Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN chairmanship will likely be remembered as the moment the bloc regained its stride — confident, coherent, and relevant in a world that often underestimates Southeast Asia’s potential.
For now, the Philippines inherits not just a gavel, but a tough act to follow.
as Anwar formally turned over the ASEAN chairmanship to the Phillipines today, he remarked:
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as you assume this responsibility, I have every confidence that under your steady hand, ASEAN will continue to act with clarity, composure, warmth, and poise for which the Filipino people are known.”
Indeed.
We have passed the baton to the Philippines in a much better condition than how we received it , and thus now the weight of expectation is upon Manila.
It is now up to them sustain the momentum Malaysia has built, and to prove that ASEAN’s new era of confidence is here to stay.
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