Malaysia to host over 300 key meetings and programs across country in 2025
Malaysia on Wednesday officially assumed the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2025, marking the fifth time since the bloc's establishment in 1967.
During the closing ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in October 2024 in Vientiane, Laos, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone symbolically handed over the ASEAN chairmanship to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Prime Minister Anwar will lead the bloc under the 2025 theme of "Inclusivity and Sustainability," addressing pressing regional issues such as disputes in the South China Sea and the ongoing civil war in Myanmar.
Malaysia is set to host over 300 key meetings and programs throughout the year, according to the state-run Bernama News Agency. The country also plans to undertake various initiatives in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, tourism, and healthcare.
In May 2025, Malaysia will host the inaugural ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Plus China Summit. Later in the year, it will also organize meetings of ASEAN leaders with partner countries.
Malaysia has previously chaired ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
ASEAN comprises 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The bloc, home to over 700 million people, spans 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles) and recorded a gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion in 2023, making it the world's fifth-largest economy.
