Kin Phea, director of the Ryal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute of Cambodia, which is organising the Phnom Penh Forum. - Supplied
PHNOM PENH: As the world grapples with resurgent unilateralism under the Trump 2.0 administration, South-East Asian leaders are under pressure to safeguard regional unity. The Fourth Phnom Penh Forum, set for Wednesday (Oct 8) at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, will dissect these tensions, urging Asean to reclaim its centrality in a fractured global order.
Organised by the academy’s International Relations Institute of Cambodia, the one-day gathering will draw top experts, policymakers and scholars from Cambodia, Germany, India, the Philippines and South Korea.
Themed “Multilateralism vs. Unilateralism: Asean’s Strategic Autonomy and Policy Choices”, the forum arrives at a pivotal moment. With US policies potentially echoing past withdrawals from global pacts, tariff hikes and aid cuts, Asean faces disrupted cooperation.
Conversely, China's push for multilateral ties through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the BRICS expansion and forums like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) offer economic lifelines but risk entangling the bloc in a great-power crossfire.
“Asean Centrality must remain our north star,” the forum's organisers emphasised in a press release, highlighting a need to navigate extra-regional influences without fracturing internal cohesion.
The event poses a question: How can South-East Asia's nations foster resilience against destabilising forces, from South China Sea flare-ups to the spectre of “colour revolutions”? – described as externally backed upheavals that have toppled governments elsewhere?
The opening panel will probe Asean’s countermeasures to US policy pivots and Asia-Pacific security shifts, zeroing in on recent South China Sea escalations that have heightened maritime frictions.
The second session turns to South-South synergies, exploring how BRI, BRICS, AIIB and Lancang-Mekong mechanisms can bolster regional integration without compromising sovereignty.
The discussion also tackles head-on the threats of political destabilisation. Experts will strategise on coordinated defences against foreign meddling, drawing lessons from hybrid warfare and ideological incursions that exploit societal divides.
Beyond debate, the forum aims to yield actionable policy blueprints to fortify Asean's diplomatic heft. It promises to amplify South-East Asian voices on the world stage, fostering enduring partnerships that transcend borders. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
