Asean foreign ministers gather in KL to discuss further economic integration amid geopolitical tensions

Asean leaders gathered in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur for the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM), with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan leading the Singaporean delegation.

A new weather

The AMM was opened with speeches by Malaysia’s foreign minister Mohamad Hasan and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the latter of whom emphasised further Asean integration.

Anwar acknowledged that “power has always shaped trade, but it now increasingly defines it across the world”.

“Tariffs, export restrictions, and investment barriers have now become the sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry”, Anwar said.

“This is no passing storm, it is a new weather of our time.”

Anwar pressed for closer alignment between Asean’s foreign and economic policy, a crucial part of Asean’s Vision 2045, a long-ranging agenda that called for greater synergy throughout Asean.

For context, Asean regularly issues vision statements, but usually only for 10-year periods, the most recent being Vision 2025.

Asean, integration, and power

During the AMM and Related Meetings, Vivian met with his Asean counterparts, including the foreign minister of Timor-Leste, who attended as an observer.

There, they had a wide-ranging discussion on deepening Asean’s economic integration, enhancing supply chain resilience, as well as harnessing the potential of the digital and green economies.

The latter would be done through initiatives such as the upgrading of the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

There was also agreement on the importance of accelerating the establishment of the Asean Power Grid, an effort to link up the power infrastructure of Asean countries.

An example of these efforts was seen during the 46th Asean Summit in May 2025, where regional energy companies signed a Joint Development Agreement to assess the feasibility of exporting renewable energy from Vietnam to Malaysia and Singapore.

The AMM reaffirmed Asean’s commitment to uphold an “open, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture, including through ongoing efforts to expand and strengthen cooperation with its external partners.

The AMM looked forward to Timor-Leste becoming Asean’s 11th member at the 47th Asean Summit, due in October 2025.

Vivian reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to supporting Timor-Leste’s development through the Singapore-Timor-Leste Asean Readiness Support package and the Singapore Cooperation Programme.

Amity and Cooperation

The AMM also saw the accession of Algeria and Uruguay to Asean’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

The pair are the 56th and 57th countries to have signed the document since its establishment in 1976.

The TAC is one of the foundational Asean documents, enshrining the bloc’s commitment to non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, as well as mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national integrity for all nations.

It also calls for the peaceful settlement of disputes, as well as the renunciation of threats or use of force.

The treaty is Asean’s first legally binding treaty, and was meant for the five original Asean members, but was later amended in the 1980s to allow for non-Asean countries to join.

In a 2024 article, the East Asia Forum describes the TAC as a guiding document that establishes the principles that determine “Asean’s diplomatic culture”.

That culture is by nature conflict-averse, preferring to engage in a longer-winded approach, making sure that possible points of conflict are identified and defused before any course of action is agreed to, in the hope that the end result will be longer-lasting.

Free Malaysia Today reports that both Algeria and Uruguay were represented by their respective foreign ministers.

Top image via Vivian Balakrishnan/Facebook