KUALA LUMPUR: Asean countries should remain firm on its core principle of open and free trade, despite the world leaning towards a more protectionist and nationalistic approach, says Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
Sharing his thoughts during a Ministerial Dialogue at the Asean Investment Conference (AIC) 2025, the Finance Minister II said the bloc’s strength has always come from its commitment to collaboration and economic integration.
He warned that amid rising global uncertainty, Asean must not lose sight of what has historically driven its prosperity.
“Asean has always been an open trading community. We've always stood by the fact that as the community continues to trade and work together, we can make the pie bigger for everybody,” he said, adding that shared prosperity is a much better outcome.
His remarks come at a time when global trade dynamics are being reshaped by rising geopolitical tensions amid the latest tariff imposition by the United States government less than a week ago.
Echoing recent comments by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Amir said Asean must double down on internal alignment and regional cooperation to weather external shocks.
“We cannot fully control what's happening outside. But what we can do within Asean is to better align ourselves and focus on strengthening our own regional cooperation,” he said.
Beyond internal cooperation, Amir also highlighted the importance of expanding Asean’s reach to new and established markets through open trade mechanisms.
“Making sure we expand the wings a little bit and not just looking at what we can do within our own countries, but what we can do in Asean, but also extend the Asean links across newer markets or older markets that we can step up along the way.
“And again, by creating better and more open trade mechanisms will allow us to be able to manage the changes along the way,” he added.
Adding a national lens, Amir highlighted how Malaysia’s position is informed by its own economic reform agenda under the Madani economic framework — an approach that seeks to simultaneously elevate economic potential while ensuring broad-based inclusivity.
“When we started this journey, we focused on how to reinvigorate the economy and turn it around — but not in isolation,” he said.
“Under our Madani economic framework, we talk about lifting the ceiling and lifting the floor, and the ceiling is about making the economy more vibrant, more high-value, with better-quality jobs.
“Meanwhile, lifting the floor is about building capacity for citizens to earn better incomes through education, skills, and providing a social safety net where needed,” he said.
He then noted that Malaysia’s approach includes activating government-linked investment entities to reprioritise domestic investments, creating a new engine of growth that provides a cushion against global shocks.
“You’ve got to keep your eyes on the short-, medium-, and long-term. You cannot just short-focus and then forget the game plan in the future.
"That game plan guides us where we want to get to and where we want to be at the end of the day,” he added.
