Malaysia's Anwar calls for dialogue over coercion at East Asia summit

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told the East Asia summit on Monday that Asia-Pacific leaders must choose dialogue over coercion and cooperation over confrontation, stressing the need for engagement in light of global conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, North Korea and the sharpened U.S.–China rivalry.

The East Asia summit is a regional forum between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its key regional partners — Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States — to discuss political, security and economic challenges.

“We continue to advocate for dialogue over coercion...and cooperation over confrontation. We affirm our stand on global peace and security, for multilateralism and international law,” Anwar said in his opening remarks. Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the summit as Malaysia's guests, in the group's support for expanding trade links, he added.

The summit convened after U.S. President Donald Trump left Malaysia earlier Monday for Japan, following his participation at ASEAN's weekend summit meetings. On Sunday, Trump witnessed the signing of several economic agreements with Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia — part of Washington’s push to strengthen trade ties and secure access to critical minerals as it seeks to reduce reliance on China.

Trump also attended a ceremony marking a formal expansion of the Cambodia–Thailand ceasefire that Washington helped broker earlier this year.

Analysts expect discussions to focus on tensions in the South China Sea, ASEAN’s response to internal crises particularly Myanmar’s prolonged conflict and cross-border scams. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed during talks Monday to form a joint task force from November to combat transnational scams, especially those targeting South Koreans.

Anwar in his speech called for the South China Sea territorial row to be resolved within ASEAN and its partners through the long-delayed Code of Conduct currently under negotiation. He warned outside pressure could escalate tensions and urged all parties to respect international law.

His call was echoed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr,, who vowed to accelerate the conclusion of the Code of Conduct when his country takes over as ASEAN chair next year. Chinese and Philippine vessels frequently clash in the waterway, that is claimed almost entirely by Beijing. Marcos reiterated his criticism of China’s plan to build a “nature reserve” over a hotly disputed shoal.

In Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiaku blamed Philippines’ “deliberate infringements and provocations at sea” as the root cause of tensions.

On other issues, Anwar commended Trump’s plan to end the Gaza conflict, but said more must be done to ensure a just and lasting political solution for the Palestinian people.

He voiced concern over the recent surge of ballistic missile launches by North Korea and called for engagement.

“Once we call for engagement in all areas from Gaza to Ukraine to Myanmar, we should not preclude engagement with (North Korea),” he said.

On Myanmar, he said ASEAN is sticking to its 2021 Five-Point Consensus on peace and dialogue to resolve the civil war triggered by Myanmar’s 2021 military takeover. He didn’t say if ASEAN would support Myanmar’s plan for a general election, but said fighting has subdued and that engagement should continue.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, in a meeting with ASEAN leaders later Monday, warned Myanmar’s plans for elections in December, that critics say won’t be free nor fair, could cause further exclusion and instability.

The U.S. delegation is likely to present Washington as a reliable partner for Indo-Pacific stability while China, represented by Premier Li Qiang, will likely underscore noninterference and the virtues of connectivity through projects such as the Belt and Road initiative, said Ilango Karuppannan, former Malaysian ambassador and senior adjunct fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“The 20th East Asia summit will be remembered for the signing of the peace deal and U.S. trade recalibration with Southeast Asia,” he said.

The impact of U.S. tariffs loom large over the meetings as countries seek ways to counter their effects. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday that Canada plans to accelerate free trade talks with ASEAN, targeting a completion next year. Canada also aims to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade to bolster its economy, he said.

Trump last week said he was ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada in anger over a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs. Carney told reporters that Canada is prepared to resume negotiations when Washington is ready.

Malaysia also announced the completion of a free trade pact with South Korea.

Earlier Monday, ASEAN members and five partners — China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand — held a leaders' summit of the Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership, the first since they signed a free trade pact in 2020. The agreement covers roughly a-third of global gross domestic product and aims to promote regional economic integration.

In a joint statement, the RCEP leaders said their partnership could bolster the region’s economic resilience amid current global uncertainties. They vowed to enhance the implementation of the RCEP agreement and domestic reforms.

Although provisions are loose and not seen as strong as some other regional trade blocs, the RCEP can help nations diversify their trade basket and serve as “a practical hedge against U.S. tariff shocks,” said Doris Liew, an economist specializing in Southeast Asian development.

On a lighter note, delegates celebrated Brazil leader Lula's 80th birthday at a dinner Monday with a cake and a birthday song. Lula earlier told reporters that he felt at a high point in his life and hoped to live to 120.