BY VOON MIAW PING
KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia prepares to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025, Japan has affirmed its unwavering support, highlighting the strong bilateral ties and regional cooperation that define their relationship.
Japan’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Takahashi Katsuhiko, emphasised Tokyo’s readiness to assist Malaysia in ensuring a successful tenure, reflecting the deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
This collaborative spirit sets the stage for Malaysia’s leadership in navigating complex geopolitical challenges and fostering unity within ASEAN.
“We are looking forward to having more constructive discussions with Malaysia (as the Chair) and ASEAN at large.
“If there is anything we can do to help, we are ready to assist Malaysia in playing a greater role as Chair of ASEAN in 2025,” he told Bernama recently.
Takahashi is also confident of stronger Japan-ASEAN collaboration across all sectors under Malaysia’s leadership, bolstered by the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in September 2023.
He emphasised Tokyo’s commitment to ASEAN centrality and ASEAN initiatives, including those under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) framework, to promote collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region.
This includes cooperation in maritime, connectivity, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, economic and cyber security, among others.
“We reiterate our strong support for ASEAN and Malaysia as Chair in 2025,” the ambassador said.
Japan was ASEAN’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2022, accounting for 7.0 per cent of the total trade recorded between ASEAN and the world.
The regional bloc is also a major trading partner for Japan after China and the United States, with total bilateral trade amounting to US$31.65 billion in 2022.
Meanwhile, Malaysia, as a dynamic geopolitical player, is expected to emphasise forging stronger regional cooperation among ASEAN member states and with its external partners to navigate uncertainties in global geopolitics when it becomes ASEAN Chair next year.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during his working visit to Tokyo last week, highlighted that Malaysia will leverage the multilateral platform to tackle regional issues, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
He said forums such as ASEAN are apt for addressing issues concerning the region.
“When I assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, I will call for ASEAN countries to take a common position so that multilaterally, we can engage with neighbours, including China, to find an amicable resolution to differences,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Nikkei Forum’s 29th Future of Asia.
Malaysia, one of the five founding members of ASEAN, has hosted the rotating ASEAN chairmanship four times since the grouping was established on Aug 8, 1967, with the last time being in 2015. – Bernama
