Malaysia’s foreign minister urged Southeast Asian nations to fast-track regional economic integration and stand united in the face of sweeping US tariffs that have disrupted global trade.
Speaking at a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, Mohamad Hasan warned that the US–China trade war was causing serious shocks to production and global markets.
“ASEAN nations are among those most heavily affected by the US-imposed tariffs,” Mohamad said. “We must seize this moment to deepen regional economic integration so that we can better shield our region from external shocks.”
Tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration — ranging from 10% to 49% — have hit six of ASEAN’s 10 members the hardest, officials said. The fallout could undermine ASEAN’s 2025 growth forecast of 4.7%.
Mohamad said ASEAN is seeking a special summit with the US to discuss trade issues as a bloc, and hopes the meeting can be held later this year. He confirmed that several countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, began trade talks with Washington after Trump paused the tariffs for 90 days last month.
Turning to regional security, Mohamad said the conflict in Myanmar has become an “ASEAN issue” with growing cross-border consequences, including rising refugee flows and transnational crimes. He dismissed Myanmar’s plan to hold elections this year as a “whitewash” and said no vote should take place until violence ends.
“Elections with partial participation will be meaningless,” he said, noting that many opposition groups are banned or boycotting the polls, and that the military has lost control over large parts of the country.
ASEAN plans to appoint a permanent envoy to Myanmar with a three-year mandate to engage with all sides and push for peace talks. Mohamad said he would travel to Myanmar in June to advance those efforts.
The minister also confirmed that ASEAN is exploring dialogue partnership with Ukraine and aims to speed up East Timor’s membership, which would expand the bloc to 11 members.
ASEAN leaders are scheduled to meet Monday for their annual summit, followed by a joint meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council on Tuesday. Climate change, artificial intelligence threats, and great power rivalries are also expected to be key agenda points.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Ti...
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monda...
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” followin...
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following ear...
China says it's making a "full assessment" of the U.S. Supreme Court's tariff ruling and urged Washington to lift "relevant unilateral tariff measures...
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
China says it's making a "full assessment" of the U.S. Supreme Court's tariff ruling and urged Washington to lift "relevant unilateral tariff measures" on its trading partners, the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement on Monday (23 February).
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 23rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A “Victory will be ours” banner was hung on the Russian Embassy in Seoul, ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It remains on display despite a request from the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Sunday (22 February) for its removal, sparking widespread criticism.
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