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Asean must face external pressures with clarity and conviction, says Anwar

Asean must face external pressures with clarity and conviction, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Asean must confront growing external pressures and geopolitical rivalries — including retaliatory tariffs imposed by the United States — with clarity and conviction, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In his keynote address at the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM), Anwar said that the region's unity must go beyond declarations and be reflected in its actions and resolve.
He also told Asean member states to strengthen intra-regional trade and investment to build a more resilient economy.
"Across the world, tools once used to generate growth are now wielded to pressure, isolate and contain.
"Tariffs, export restrictions and investment barriers have become sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry.
"This is no passing storm — it is the new weather of our time. Asean must confront this reality with clarity and conviction," he said.
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