(MENAFN- Asia Times)
With the imminent return of Donald trump to the White House and intensifying superpower rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, the year ahead will be crucial for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its place in the global security spotlight.
Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, drew mockery across the region for failing to cite a single member of ASEAN during his confirmation hearing this week.
But the seeming cluelessness of the Pentagon's incoming chief only underscores ASEAN's growing geopolitical irrelevance among Washington's strategic elite.
Packed with China hawks, including incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Undersecretary for Policy Elbridge Colby , the second Trump administration is widely expected to place growing pressure on regional states to toe the line on Beijing or risk Washington's ire.
Accordingly, ASEAN will increasingly struggle to effectively“hedge” between competing powers as both the US and China press for advantage in the vital and strategic region.
That puts Malaysia, this year's rotational chair of the regional bloc, in the geopolitical hot seat. Amran Mohamed Zin, secretary-general of Malaysia's foreign ministry, said there will be 357 ASEAN-related meetings, including 14 high-level meetings featuring heads of government and state, this year.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Langkawi, gathering more than 200 foreign delegates and diplomats this weekend, will officially launch Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship.
Although the regional body operates on a consensus-based decision-making modality, ASEAN's rotational chair has tremendous influence in terms of shaping its agenda and policy direction.
Nominally the head of government of the host nation, the chairman can also issue an independent“Chairman's Statement” whenever there is a deadlock or dissensus over a sensitive regional issue, as seen with the ongoing civil strife in Myanmar.
Malaysia chose“Inclusivity and Sustainability” for this year's theme, underscoring the centrality of trade, investment and economic issues for the regional body.
Not long ago, buoyed by decades of rapid growth and regional peace, ASEAN leaders felt confident enough about finalizing a regional common market by the year 2025 and, crucially, serving as an anchor of regional stability throughout the 21st century.
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