Latest news with #SaifuddinNasutionbinIsmail
Malaysiakini
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Strengthening regional cooperation: Highlights of the 25th SOMTC Meeting and Its Related Meetings in Putrajaya
The 25th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) and Its Related Meetings were successfully convened over three days in Putrajaya, with a total of 200 delegates in attendance. This high-level meeting serves as a key platform for ASEAN Member States to align regional efforts in addressing transnational crimes, including contemporary security challenges such as human trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime. Day One (24 June 2025): Opening Ceremony and Malaysia's Strategic Recommendations The meeting was officiated by YB Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail, Minister of Home Affairs, with the first day's plenary session chaired by YBhg. Datuk Awang Alik bin Jeman, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) Malaysia. During this session, ASEAN Member States exchanged insights on best practices, contemporary challenges, and recent policy initiatives in addressing transnational crime. The Malaysian delegation highlighted several notable initiatives, including integrated enforcement at national entry points, monitoring of undocumented migrants, and enhanced collaboration with enforcement agencies. Malaysia also put forward a proposal to establish a SOMTC Working Group on Anti-Money Laundering, aimed at addressing illicit financial flows in the region, as well as the development of the ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime (2026–2035). This proposal received strong support from Member States and is recommended to be tabled at the upcoming ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in September 2025. The meeting also deliberated on issues concerning funding for security operations and technical cooperation with dialogue partners such as the United Kingdom, UNODC, and ASEAN-ACT. Presentations from these partners provided comprehensive insights into future cooperation on cybercrime, capacity building, and strategic mapping of regional security risks. The Retreat Session was also held on the first day, where the SOMTC Heads of Delegation exchanged views on expanding the scope of cybercrime and funding for regional cooperation. Day Two (25 June 2025): Consultations with ASEAN Dialogue Partners Four (4) SOMTC Consultation Sessions with ASEAN Dialogue Partners were held as follows: 13th SOMTC + Canada Consultation , co-chaired by Lao PDR 13th SOMTC + New Zealand Consultation , co-chaired by Viet Nam 12th SOMTC + India Consultation , co-chaired by Philippines 12th SOMTC + Russia Consultation, co-chaired by Myanmar Malaysia presented substantive interventions across several aspects of strategic cooperation, including: Capacity building through technical training and officer exchange programs Advancing the use of technology in digital crime detection Developing protocols for cross-border intelligence sharing These consultation sessions also offered opportunities to explore technology synergies and knowledge exchange, reflecting Malaysia's role in driving digital transformation in law enforcement. The second-day meeting concluded by midday, allowing delegates to engage and strengthen ties through participation in side programs and informal gatherings. Day Three (26 June 2025): Malaysia's Leadership in Multilateral Consultations Malaysia demonstrated its continued regional leadership with YBhg. Datuk Awang Alik bin Jeman serving as Co-Chair in two major consultation sessions: 22nd SOMTC + 3 Consultation , involving Japan, China, and South Korea, co-chaired with H.E. Minami Hiroyuki from Japan 22nd SOMTC + China Consultation, co-chaired with H.E. Jun Tan from the People's Republic of China Several other consultation sessions included: 21st SOMTC + Japan , co-chaired by Singapore 18th SOMTC + Republic of Korea , co-chaired by Thailand 19th SOMTC + Australia , co-chaired by Indonesia 13th SOMTC + European Union , co-chaired by Brunei Darussalam 17th SOMTC + United States, co-chaired by Cambodia Malaysia reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to strengthening practical cooperation, enhancing information exchange, and building the operational capacity of Member States in addressing rising complexity of transnational crime threats. Bilateral Meetings: Multi-Layered Diplomacy Throughout the three-days meeting, Malaysia held several bilateral meetings with its strategic partners, including Singapore, the United States, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Key discussions included: Harmonisation of international conventions on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants Development of joint training pathways and regional digital information platforms Strengthening Regional Resilience in a New Era The 25th SOMTC Meeting served as a vital platform for strengthening regional security cooperation, in line with ASEAN's vision of a peaceful, resilient, and transnational crime-free region. Malaysia further consolidated its leadership role in policy coordination, strategic negotiations, and operational cooperation, emphasizing that ASEAN security is a collective responsibility that requires proactive measures and long-term strategic thinking—aligned with the theme of 'inclusivity and sustainability' under Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025. This content is provided by Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia (MOHA) The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini. Interested in having your press releases, exclusive interviews, or branded content articles on Malaysiakini? For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected]
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Malaysia will work with both the U.S. and China in developing AI, says top minister
Malaysia won't pick between the U.S. and China as the two superpowers drift further apart in the global geopolitical landscape, according to the country's minister of home affairs. 'For a country like Malaysia, our practical solution or practical position now is that we do not need to choose sides,' Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail said during Fortune's ASEAN-GCC Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. 'Instead, we have chosen to work with both.' The comments came as leaders from the intergovernmental Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met for their annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur. As chair of ASEAN, it was Malaysia's turn to host the summit, which focused on international collaboration between the 10 member nations. In the days following the ASEAN Summit, the Southeast Asian leaders met with additional policymakers from the Gulf Cooperation Council and China as part of trilateral discussions. The representatives touched on major topics including artificial intelligence, the renewable energy transition, and the changing global world order. The latter drew particular focus after the U.S.'s disengagement from global trade in the wake of President Donald Trump's tariffs and the rising tensions between the U.S. and China. That leaves countries like Malaysia caught in the middle as they look for capital investment and access to cutting-edge technology, including AI infrastructure. 'I believe that [working with both China and the U.S.] brought us real benefits, and this means we can bring the most relevant, affordable, and effective AI tools into our country,' Saifuddin said. 'We choose what is best for Malaysia based on our needs. This balanced approach gives us more room to negotiate, to innovate, and to protect our own national interests.' Saifuddin added that Malaysia wanted to work with both the U.S. and China because it did not want to close itself off from sources of knowledge sharing and new technology that it does not yet have the ability to develop on its own. 'Our open door policy means our young people can train in Silicon Valley or in Shenzhen, and our companies can learn from both the American and Chinese AI ecosystem,' Saifuddin said. 'I think those are the clear benefits of taking a position like ours.' The recent tariff spat between the U.S. and China accelerated a decoupling that had been in full swing since the two cemented themselves as the world's leading AI powers. In the past few years, the U.S. has limited the export of the most advanced semiconductor chips to China, while Beijing enacted similar export controls on certain rare minerals key to the production of chips. Both countries' governments have regularly pointed to a brewing AI arms race with the other. Such an openly confrontational approach between superpowers could erode in the world of AI, according to Keyu Jin, economics professor at the London School of Economics and author of the book The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism. 'I think a lot of this idea of dominance and winning is really part of the old playbook,' Jin said. 'Really, no one wins from this kind of competition in this new age of networks and the new age of connectivity.' Both the U.S. and China often cite national security as the reason for the schism. U.S. officials are concerned about the level of influence the Chinese government exerts over its domestic tech companies. Meanwhile, China is trying to wean itself off a reliance on advanced chips from the U.S. after the export controls went into effect. National security concerns should not be the only considerations determining the extent of global AI collaboration, Jin said. 'We need to be realistic that there are security concerns that both countries have to accept vis‑a‑vis others,' Jin said. 'That is just the geopolitical reality. But that's not the only reality in the world. It's easy to conflate these issues: technology and national security. It's very easy to use it as an excuse to shun competition, which I don't think is a good thing.' Many of the countries in attendance in the ASEAN and GCC blocs have ties with both the U.S. and China. They are usually reluctant to pick sides because they do not want to be seen as favoring one superpower over the other. 'Trade and investment with non‑aligned countries has shot up, whether it's between China and them, [or] the U.S. led with them,' Jin said. 'These countries play a very critical role. So we can't cast the world as black and white.' This story was originally featured on
