Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Bin Ibrahim opened the East Asia Summit by calling for multilateralism and international law. Photo: Supplied / PMO
The Malaysian Prime Minister has called for multilateralism and international law as world leaders gather to discuss trade and security issues at the East Asia Summit.
Host of this year's ASEAN summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Bin Ibrahim opened the East Asia Summit by calling for "dialogue over coercion, balance over binaries, cooperation over confrontation".
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is also in Kuala Lumpur for the forum, with the aim of deepening ties with Indo-Pacific countries amidst global trade instability following the Liberation Day tariffs in the United States.
President Donald Trump finished up his Malaysia visit on Monday, having secured trade deals with a range of southeast Asian countries, and will be at APEC later this week where he's scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping. There's hopes the meeting will help de-escalate trade tensions between the two nations.
Speaking to media after his first day at the summit, Luxon acknowledged Ibrahim had made strong remarks in relation to multilaterism, saying they were also "consistent" from many around the table at the East Asia Summit, "including ourselves".
"That's what we want to do, that's what we've been working so hard at, is making sure we reaffirm the rules based system."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is also in Kuala Lumpur for the forum. Photo: Supplied / PMO
He said the countries that make up the ASEAN bloc are a "significant economic block in their own right", between ASEAN, which made up about 8 percent of the global economy, the CPTPP that made up about 14 percent of global trade, and the EU being the "second biggest trading bloc in the world at 17 percent" he said.
"The three blocks actually agreeing to work together to have a trading dialog and platform where they can work out trade and economic issues and work to reaffirm the system. There's about 40 percent of global trade, which is very, very significant."
Luxon wouldn't outline his specific remarks in the summit but explained he'd reiterated the case for the rules based system, and why he wanted to see a peaceful region across the Indo-Pacific, "because prosperity is very much threatened when we don't have security".
He said the meeting was "really constructive", and everyone was able to raise concerns, and the result was reinforcing ASEAN centrality, including through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership - 2020 free trade agreement between ASEAN and five of its major trading partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Luxon said he had been enjoying the summit, and building relationships and rapport at an invidividual level. He also indicated it was his job to "make sure I get disproportionate influence for New Zealand through these relationships".
The East Asia Summit. Photo: Supplied / PMO
Ibrahim's opening remarks had acknowledged the establishment of the East Asia Summit as a leaders led forum for dialogue on "strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern".
He said the forum would continue to advocate for "dialogue over coercion, balance over binaries, cooperation over confrontation".
"We affirm our stand on global peace and security, for multilateralism and international law."
He also highlighted key issues, such as Gaza - celebrating the peace plan in place, but saying it must be "closely monitored" so there's "lasting peace" and that it is an "inclusive, just and lasting political solution for Palestine".
He also mentioned the Myanmar elections, the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict, incidents in the South China Sea and the recent surge in ballistic missile launches in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
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