GEORGE TOWN: Trust must become the foundation of international cooperation as countries face growing geopolitical rivalry, uncertainty and diverging interests, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
He said while countries were more connected than ever economically and technologically, they were also increasingly divided by geopolitical competition and strategic rivalry.
“Different peoples do not have to become the same in order to build something together,” he said during the Penang Peace Dialogue 2026 gala event at the Jen Hotel on Saturday.
He added that Penang’s history of coexistence offered a lesson for a world grappling with differences among peoples and nations.
He also said peace should not be understood simply as the absence of conflict, but also as the ability of different individuals to live, work and prosper together despite their differences.
“For centuries, George Town and the Straits of Malacca have brought together people, religions, ideas and trade from across Asia and beyond.
“Penang has never been defined by a single culture, language or way of life.
“Our identity was built through encounters between people who were different, learning to trade, interact and live alongside one another.”
Chow said the ancient maritime routes that once connected Penang to the world had evolved into modern global supply chains, with its manufacturing, semiconductor and technology sectors deeply linked to markets across Asia and beyond.
“That interdependence creates opportunity, but also vulnerability.”
He added that when stability held, trade flourished, investment flowed and the public prospered, but when divisions deepened, “disruptions could travel quickly across borders and supply chains.”
He said therefore the question was no longer simply whether the world was connected, but whether those connections could withstand greater strategic rivalry and diverging interests.
“In the past, we often spoke of infrastructure as the foundation of connectivity. In a more multipolar world, trust must also become an infrastructure of cooperation.
“Connectivity could bring countries together, but trust is what allows them to remain together when interests begin to diverge.”
Chow said dialogue did not require agreement on everything, but required the ability to understand where interests differed, keep communication open and identify areas where cooperation remained possible.
He added that this made the theme of the dialogue, “Bridging Civilisations in a Multipolar World”, particularly relevant.
“We are not here to make different societies think alike, but to better understand one another and find ways to work together despite our differences.”
Addressing former Indonesian president Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, Chow said Indonesia brought a particularly relevant perspective to the discussion.
He cited the 1955 Bandung Conference as an effort by countries with different histories, political systems and interests to establish principles for coexistence without surrendering their independence.
“More than seven decades later, the circumstances have changed, but the challenge remains familiar: how do we protect our interests while keeping the door to cooperation open?”
Chow said Indonesia had continued to play an important role in shaping that conversation, from Bandung to Asean.
He added that the success of a peace dialogue should not be measured by whether participants left with the same view, but by whether they were more willing to listen to those with different views and more prepared to find common ground.
“And perhaps that is Penang’s small contribution to this larger conversation: we could be open to the world without losing who we are, and we could be different without being divided.”
Chow said he hoped the gathering would bring together individuals who might not normally meet, facilitate discussions that might otherwise not take place and build relationships that would continue beyond the event.
He welcomed Jokowi and the other participants to Penang on behalf of the Penang government and its residents.
“May tonight’s conversations broaden our understanding, deepen trust and remind us that peace depends not on eliminating our differences, but on having the wisdom to manage them and continue working together.” – By T.C. Khor
