Small, pragmatic steps best for Asean integration, says Nazir

Free Malaysia Today

While overcoming rising trade barriers and geopolitical tensions is urgent, the Asean-BAC chairman says grand ambitions won’t serve the bloc well.  Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/05/27/small-pragmatic-steps-best-for-asean-integration-says-nazir  Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/05/27/langkah-kecil-pragmatik-terbaik-untuk-integrasi-asean-kata-nazir  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #ASEAN #NazirRazak #InclusivityAndSustainability

Transcript

00:00ASEAN works best when you don't go for, you know, giant ambitious leaps and achieve very little.

00:08Instead, you go for concrete small steps and move forwards progressively.

00:12Do you have any message specifically for This Is ASEAN 2025 and what you hope to achieve?

00:32I think we learnt from the past about what ASEAN can and cannot do, what ASEAN should and shouldn't do.

00:39In 2007, when, you know, I remember running CIMB at the time and was so taken by the ASEAN Economic Charter.

00:48And we thought that when we grow up, when ASEAN grows up, we want to be like the EU.

00:53Well, we don't. That is not the right model, probably, but it's definitely not the right model for us.

00:59ASEAN works best when you don't go for, you know, giant ambitious leaps and achieve very little.

01:06Instead, you go for concrete small steps and move forwards progressively.

01:12Small but concrete steps.

01:15ASEAN Business Advisory Council Chair Nazir Razak believes that a more modest and targeted approach works best for ASEAN in achieving its goals.

01:25His remarks come amid growing global uncertainty over U.S. tariffs and the rising tide of protectionism worldwide.

01:32Businesses across ASEAN have raised concerns about mounting barriers to trade and investment

01:38and are calling on governments to present clear plans for navigating geopolitical rifts.

01:43You know, the world now accepts that, you know, completely unfettered free markets is no longer a reality, right?

01:55And we accept that within ASEAN, within ASEAN nations, we all have our domestic political priorities

02:04and there will be restrictions.

02:06So those are accepted now, more accepted than ever.

02:11What do you think can be done to attract more global capital, even in the midst of regulatory barriers?

02:18So it's a question of, you know, negotiating the right deals.

02:23And even in the case of the Malaysia-U.S. relations, there's conversations around the various non-tariff measures

02:32and how to bring them down.

02:35So I think it's more about identifying the opportunities.

02:39And then after that, it's about working through what needs to be kind of brought down

02:46in order to crystallise those opportunities.

02:55Shut up.

02:56Okay.

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