Malaysia Backs ASEAN As Rising Southern Power, Urges Fair Multi-Polarity

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (KUNA) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed on Tuesday that Malaysia is strengthening its position -- and that of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- as a rising force within the Global South, calling for a shift from the dominance of bipolarity to a multipolar global order with fair power-sharing.
Speaking as both Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Anwar told Malaysia's national news agency Bernama that his recent visits to South America, Southeast Asia, and Russia conveyed a clear message: countries of the Global South need deeper cooperation to strengthen their economic and political influence and shape their own futures, independent of major powers.
He said this direction is driven by Malaysia's belief in a "shared future," a concept welcomed by leaders of the Global South. Malaysia, he added, remains focused on expanding regional and global partnerships amid accelerating geopolitical shifts.
Anwar also called for reforms to the global financial system -- especially the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO) -- to support fair trade and prevent discrimination against smaller nations. He warned of increasing protectionism, even within the Group of Twenty (G20), which previously championed free trade.
They have proposed comprehensive reforms to the IMF and urged the WTO to explicitly support free trade that does not disadvantage smaller nations, he said. Malaysia, he added, is committed to shared growth, regional cooperation, open trade, development, and investment.
As ASEAN chair this year, Malaysia will work to revive neglected regional platforms such as the ASEAN+3 Summit (with China, Japan, and South Korea) and the East Asia Summit, which includes ASEAN countries along with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and Russia. These forums, he said, offer neutral, constructive platforms for strategic and security dialogue among rival powers.
Malaysia will host the 46th ASEAN Summit at the end of May, along with related meetings including the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and the ASEAN-China and ASEAN-Gulf summits. These aim to boost Global South cooperation by expanding political and economic partnerships between ASEAN's ten Southeast Asian nations, six Gulf states, and China.
ASEAN, founded in 1967, includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. It promotes regional economic, political, and social integration, as well as peace and stability. (end)
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