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MINISTER of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, has reaffirmed the nation's commitment to fostering a more integrated, resilient and future-oriented ASEAN, as the bloc prepares to implement its ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Strategic Plan for 2026–2030.
Speaking at the regional socialisation of the AEC Strategic Plan under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, Tengku Zafrul said the roadmap is key to realising ASEAN’s aspiration of becoming a single market and production base, driven by competitiveness, inclusivity and sustainable growth.
“Today’s programme is a follow-up to the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, signed during the 46th ASEAN Summit on 26 May 2025. It also marks the launch of the AEC Strategic Plan 2026–2030,” he said, crediting the ASEAN Secretariat, Australia for ASEAN Futures, GIZ, and private sector partners for their contributions.
With nearly 600 participants attending both in person and online, the forum aimed to foster greater understanding of the strategic plan’s opportunities across business, civil society and academia.
Zafrul cautioned that ASEAN’s future success depends on navigating an increasingly uncertain global landscape marked by geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and the retreat of globalisation. “The global order is being reshaped. The only certainty is uncertainty – and that is not conducive for business or investor confidence,” he said.
Nonetheless, he highlighted ASEAN’s enduring strengths, including a population of 680 million, natural resources, and a young, dynamic workforce. ASEAN’s neutral and central position in global affairs, he noted, further enhances its role in supply chains, trade and investment.
“The rest of the world may crack under pressure, but ASEAN will continue to strive and thrive, thanks to our economic and supply-chain complementarities, and the spirit of inclusivity and sustainability,” he said.
The AEC Strategic Plan, which replaces the AEC Blueprint 2025, will chart regional economic integration in five-year cycles up to 2045. The 2026–2030 phase serves as the first instalment of ASEAN’s long-term economic vision and provides an actionable roadmap tailored to current challenges and emerging priorities.
Among Malaysia’s areas of focus are the removal of non-tariff barriers to strengthen intra-ASEAN trade and investment; advancing innovation, sustainability and digital transformation; and expanding the region’s digital economy to a projected USD 2 trillion by 2030.
Zafrul also underscored ASEAN’s intention to diversify its trade relationships beyond traditional partners. “Despite isolationist policies in some parts of the global economy, the AEC Strategic Plan strongly reinforces ASEAN’s commitment to market openness and proactive engagement with external partners,” he said.
He concluded by calling for strong implementation and accountability. “We must ensure that the AEC Strategic Plan’s aspirations are not just conceptual, but also very real once realised – to benefit ASEAN’s businesses, sectoral industries and its people.”
Malaysia currently holds the rotating ASEAN Chairmanship and continues to lead stakeholder coordination on post-2025 integration efforts, reinforcing the bloc’s role in promoting regional stability, trade and shared prosperity. - June 12, 2025
