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THE 57th Asean Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting, held under Malaysia’s 2025 chairmanship, opened this week in Kuala Lumpur with a focus on regional economic integration, strategic planning and inclusive growth amid ongoing global uncertainty.
The high-level summit is chaired by Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and attended by economic ministers from all ten Asean member states alongside Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn.
Central to the agenda is a review of the bloc’s Priority Economic Deliverables (PEDs), an evaluation of progress made under the Asean Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025, and preparations for the upcoming AEC Strategic Plan 2026–2030.
Of the 18 PEDs for 2025, one has been fully achieved to date—the Joint Declaration on Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (Asean-GCC) Economic Cooperation, which was adopted on 27 May 2025, marking a significant milestone in Asean’s outreach to external partners.
“This meeting comes at a pivotal moment, not only for Asean but for the global economy at large. We are committed to maintaining the momentum of regional integration while ensuring that inclusivity and sustainability remain at the core of our efforts,” Tengku Zafrul said in his opening remarks.
This morning, ministers gathered for the 39th Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA) Council and the 28th Asean Investment Area (AIA) Council meetings to deliberate on trade and investment challenges and opportunities across the region. These sessions serve as platforms to assess Asean’s collective achievements and identify new avenues to broaden regional economic cooperation.
The afternoon will see the formal signing of the Asean Framework Agreement on Competition (AFAC), a key initiative designed to harmonise competition policies across member states, followed by the 23rd Asean Business Advisory Council (Asean-BAC) Consultation, which brings together ministers and prominent business leaders from the region.
Over 500 delegates are attending the meetings and associated side events, which span 20 official sessions between 22 and 26 September. The 2025 AEM marks Malaysia’s fifth time chairing the bloc, having previously held the role in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
The 2025 theme, “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, underscores Asean’s ambition to promote broad-based economic development while addressing long-term environmental and social challenges.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprises ten member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. - September 23, 2025