Analyst Collins Chong Yew Keat from the University of Malaya. — VNA/VNS Photo

KUALA LUMPUR — The 47th ASEAN Summit, set for late October in Malaysia, will underscore the bloc’s commitment to unity and resilience as it pursues the ambitious ASEAN Community Vision 2045, a Malaysian foreign, security, and strategic affairs analyst told Vietnam News Agency.

Collins Chong Yew Keat from the University of Malaya said ASEAN is actively maintaining its centrality and non-alignment principles while seeking to foster internal cohesion and expand economic ties with other regions.

Under Malaysia’s chairmanship, the summit will focus on key themes of regional cohesion, inclusiveness, and resilience. ASEAN is proactively establishing itself to seize emerging economic opportunities while maintaining its role as a balancing force amid an evolving global geopolitical landscape, he added.

Strengthening cohesion and proactive risk management

According to him, one of the major goals of the summit is to demonstrate ASEAN’s unity and reaffirm that peace and stability achieved through dialogue and diplomacy remain the bloc’s highest principle. The bloc continues to uphold its basic principles of neutrality while reinforcing the concept of ASEAN centrality in regional affairs.

Member states are working along a 20-year roadmap toward realising the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. Recognising the growing challenges and risks over the next two decades, ASEAN is focusing on adaptability, anticipating potential risks, and developing proactive mitigation and preparedness plans well in advance.

On regional security, ASEAN remains dedicated to resolving conflicts through dialogue and consultation despite ongoing challenges. The bloc is pushing to finalise a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), maintaining momentum and urgency in negotiations. Advancing the COC, though complex, is part of ASEAN’s broader effort to uphold a rules-based order and international maritime law.

Harnessing economic momentum and expanding autonomy

ASEAN is focusing on advancing progress in emerging economic sectors as competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) heats up. The bloc is prioritising energy transition, digital economy and critical mineral supply chains. Ensuring the stability and resilience of these supply chains, particularly for essential minerals, remains a central pillar of ASEAN’s economic strategy.

To strengthen economic autonomy and reduce traditional dependence on major powers like the US and China, Malaysia’s chairmanship is driving ASEAN to forge new partnerships. These include deeper engagement with the Gulf states, the Middle East, the BRICS bloc, and Global South nations. The strategy is designed to secure alternative linkages and contingency options for future economic resilience.

A balancing force and platform for cooperation

Collins noted that the upcoming ASEAN Summit aims to send a clear message that the bloc is an emerging regional power, earning attention and respect from major global players. ASEAN is striving to broaden its economic and defence autonomy by deepening engagement with major powers such as India, Australia, and Japan, alongside a range of Western and non-Western partners.

ASEAN plays a pivotal role as a balancing force and a platform for dialogue, offering a venue where major powers can engage and address conflicts through diplomacy.

Through mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), the grouping is actively expanding its influence beyond the region to make meaningful contributions to the global policy agenda, he said.

Collins noted that the summit offers ASEAN a chance to reaffirm its principles of non-interference, non-alignment, and strategic balance while navigating intensifying great-power competition. The overarching goal, he said, is to demonstrate that ASEAN has entered a phase of greater autonomy and independence, establishing itself as a global actor capable of shaping the region’s future trajectory. — VNA