Asean’s position is to ensure that its relations with its neighbours, particularly with China, Japan and South Korea remain strong and formidable to protect its open economies, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during his closing remarks at the 12th Asean Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting on Thursday (April 10).
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/2dwxkxfp
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/2dwxkxfp
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Our position, ASEAN centrality, we continue to have good bilateral and excellent trading investment relations with the United States.
00:16At the same time, our position in ASEAN is to ensure that our relations, particularly with China, other than Japan, Korea and the neighboring countries, remain strong and formidable.
00:29Why? Because we protect our own economy, domestic economy.
00:33Again, the reason is our priority, imperative, is to ensure that our fundamentals remain strong.
00:42Our fundamentals will remain strong if we can secure peace in this region.
00:47And peace would mean be friendly to all our neighbors.
00:52And as I've said and reiterated, China is a very important player and we can't ignore.
00:59I mean, yes, some countries have problems, but yes, we'll continue to navigate in the best manner possible to secure peace and security.
01:08At the same time, to ensure that we obtain most benefit in terms of economic, investments and related areas.
01:20With your support, then we will then push this agenda ahead.
01:25With Vietnam, for example, in the energy transition grid, ASEAN energy grid, of course, ideally we should go through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand down.
01:41It will be a phenomenal course. We are at the second stage.
01:45But the first stage, for example, is energy grid from Vietnam under sea cable to north of Malaya, right through, down to south and to Singapore.
01:55And then we were thinking of how to collaborate through Batam and then Sarawak to Sabah and even south Philippines.
02:02I mean, these are issues that we can not only explore, but we have to cement this and push fast enough.
02:11And there's no point of lamenting about problems that we can't easily resolve.
02:16Problem with the United States is not something that we can easily resolve.
02:20But intra-ASEAN trade, intra-ASEAN initiative, customs and investments, this we can.
02:27And I think we should do it at a faster pace.
02:30When I wrote the Asian Renaissance 25 years ago, I said we take great pride in the forging ASEAN ahead as a major economic focus and fundamentals.
02:47But it's not just economic empowerment. It's cultural vibrancy and empowerment.
02:56So with that note, I thank you again. Terima kasih.
03:00Thank you. Yang amat berhormat, Datuk Sri Anwar.