Vivian Balakrishnan to attend 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, M'sia

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will be attending the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) from Jul. 8 to Jul. 11, in Kuala Lumpur.

The AMM will bring together Asean’s foreign ministers, with the exception of Myanmar, along with the foreign ministers of several Asean partners, namely those of Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States.

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In addition to meetings with individual countries, the summit will see several multilateral meetings take place, such as:

- The 26th Asean Plus Three (APT), which brings together Asean FMs with those of China, Japan, and South Korea.

- The 15th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers Meeting, bringing together the Asean Plus Three nations, together with Australia, India, New Zealand, Russia, and the U.S.

- The 32nd Asean Regional Forum, which brings together an even broader array of partner nations and groups, such as the EU.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said that the AMM will “reaffirm the Minister’s commitment to Asean unity and centrality”, as well as discuss ways of advancing Asean integration and community building, especially amid rising geopolitical tensions and geoeconomic uncertainty.

Tariffs

This comes as a new wave of tariff rates was unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as fresh uncertainty as to when exactly the new rates will become active.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will be making his first visit to the Indo-Pacific to attend the AMM.

Reuters reports that Rubio will seek to firm up U.S. relationships with regional partners and allies, something that might be made slightly easier as the U.S. recently announced significant reductions in tariff rates for Asean members Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

But Malaysia, the Asean Chair, saw a 1 per cent increase in tariffs, while other Asean members have seen unchanged or unannounced rates.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi’s attendance has also been announced by China’s MFA.

Continuing efforts

Also on the agenda during the AMM are Asean's continuing efforts to strengthen cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, green energy, and supply chain connectivity.

The foreign ministers will also discuss ongoing preparations for Timor-Leste to formally join Asean at the 47th Asean summit in October 2025, becoming its 11th member.

Top image via U.S. Department of State/Facebook & Vivian Balakrishnan/Facebook