Malaysian PM calls for strategic connectivity, open trade during Shangri-La Dialogue

SINGAPORE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said here on Saturday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is dedicated to promoting open and fair trade, while recognizing the potential risks associated with global fragmentation.

In a special address during the 22nd edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defense and security summit, Anwar said that preserving ASEAN's autonomy is "not about resisting others," but "about strengthening ourselves."

That same spirit shaped the ASEAN leaders' statement on global economic and trade uncertainty during their summit earlier this week in Kuala Lumpur, he said, adding that "we warned of the dangers of unilateral actions, retaliatory tariffs and the growing risk of global fragmentation."

"We affirmed ASEAN's commitment to an open, predictable and rules-based trading system," said the prime minister, adding, "open markets create the kind of mutual exposure between nations that encourages caution, not confrontation."

Economic openness is a source of equilibrium, both between nations and within them, to deal with pressing issues that affect the people, such as poverty, social inequities, or even digital divide, said Anwar.

This year's Shangri-La Dialogue, which runs from Friday through Sunday, drew representatives from 47 countries, including 40 ministerial-level delegates, 20 chief of defense forces-level delegates, over 20 senior defense officials, and prominent academics, according to the Singapore Ministry of Defense.■