KUALA LUMPUR: Asean is not just not a meeting of heads of governments but a collective neutral bloc which operates on consensus, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the neutrality and consensus among Asean is crucial following ties with China.
“Asean is not just not a meeting of heads of governments at the ministerial level down to the heads of departments and agencies to discuss matters robustly.
“We share, we discuss and argue but we can achieve a consensus which is critical,” Anwar said when launching the Asean-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction and Housing 2024 here yesterday.
He pointed out that Asean, as one of the peaceful territories in the world, could leverage its political equity to bring benefit to the region.
“We want every single country in Asean to benefit both economically and socially.
“That is why we take this principle of neutrality to benefit from the experience of the West such as Europe and the United States.
“And now with China, we don’t need to be apologetic,” he said.
He noted that Asean must synergise its non-partisanship and collectivism in light of China’s unprecedented rise.
“More so now, since we have established excellent strategic and comprehensive partnerships including between Malaysia and China, we must ensure that this brings benefit to both Asean and China,” he said.
Anwar said he kept reiterating Asean’s neutral stance as a point in his recent speeches as he had “been questioned personally” on it several times.
“As a region, we have decided that this standpoint is pertinent and important not only to advance our integration as a unit but also advance our nation,” he added.
Malaysia will assume the chairmanship of Asean in 2025. — By MARTIN CARVALHO and RAHIMY RAHIM
