Asean must stay united amid rising security threats, says Khaled

KUALA LUMPUR: Asean must preserve its unity and strengthen regional cooperation amid intensifying strategic competition, evolving security threats and natural disasters.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the bloc's future depended on trust, dialogue and a shared commitment to regional interests, rather than any single member state acting alone.

"Asean's future cannot be secured by any one member state acting alone. Our strength rests on the trust we build among ourselves, our willingness to manage differences constructively, and our determination to uphold the wider interests of the region," he said in his opening remarks at the 20th Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in the Philippines.

Khaled said the South China Sea remained a major test of Asean's unity, credibility and commitment to its founding principles, given overlapping maritime claims involving several member states.

"Several member states have overlapping maritime claims, and each has legitimate interests in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial rights. But no dispute, however deeply rooted, should be allowed to fracture Asean or undermine the peace we have spent decades building," he said.

He added that Asean must not take its peace and stability for granted, as both had been built through sustained dialogue and the political will to cooperate despite differences.

Khaled also called for stronger regional disaster response capabilities as Asean faces increasingly complex and interconnected non-traditional threats, saying no member state could manage such challenges alone.

"We must acknowledge that non-traditional threats are no longer distant possibilities. These threats are real, recurring and increasingly difficult to ignore.

"Asean should take more proactive and coordinated initiatives to strengthen people's ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from disasters, while developing stronger local and regional response capabilities.

"Malaysia believes that Asean must work towards building a stronger, more coordinated and effective regional disaster response capability," he said.

Khaled said existing mechanisms, including the Asean Militaries Ready Group on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (AMRG on HADR), provided a framework for coordinating military assistance and deploying assets to disaster-hit areas.

Citing Asean's response to the earthquake in Myanmar last year, he said member states should build on these arrangements to improve operational readiness and coordination.

"We must now build upon these foundations to strengthen operational readiness, improve coordination and ensure that our armed forces can respond swiftly and effectively when disasters strike," he said.

Khaled said stronger cooperation was particularly important as Asean approaches its 60th anniversary next year, adding that the bloc's ability to sustain dialogue despite difficult disagreements remained one of its greatest achievements.

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the ADMM, established in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 to advance practical defence cooperation, confidence-building and collective responses to shared security challenges.

"As the ADMM enters its third decade, we must be prepared to do more than confront new threats with old approaches," he said.

He said the meeting's success should be measured not only by the cooperation established among member states, but also by the security and resilience it delivered to their people.

Malaysia remained committed to strengthening the ADMM, upholding Asean centrality and building a more secure and resilient regional community, he added.