Durian. Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during their meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian on Wednesday, 9 July 2025, concerned to find alternative ways to as solution for global economic situation, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono.
ASEAN Foreign Ministers are gathering in the 58th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur until 10 July 2025.
“In the plenary thus morning, I think there’s one thing appeared that is a high consideration to make ASEAN as a regional organization that have higher bargaining power, particularly in relation with trade, how to – not to say erasing the dependency but to find alternatives for the global economic situation like this,” Minister Sugiono told journalists in the sidelines of the AMM, responding the question whether the AMM has discussed about the United States’ tariff policy..
President Donald Trump administration will officially impose vary higher import tarriff to its trade partner countries on 9 July 2025. President Trump has said that his administration would adding 10 percent to the initial tariff to BRICS members in which Indonesia as an ASEAN member country is a member of BRICS.
Indonesia’s BRICS membership was granted in January this year and President Prabowo Subianto is now in Brazil for his state visit after attending BRICS Summit, on 6 and 7 of July 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
According to Minister Sugiono, ASEAN has many cooperation frameworks that can be used to overcome the global economic situation, however those frameworks have not all been implemented.
All of ASEAN member states realized the potential market of the region, total in combined is about 700 million population.
“This is a huge market. This is actually can be utilized, its cooperation must be encouraged,” Minister Sugiono said.
During the opening ceremony of the 58th AMM and related meetings on Wednesday, Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim expected the outcome of the meetings could shape the future of the region. This year, the chairmanship of ASEAN is held by Malaysia through alphabetical order.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan has similar tone when giving his opening remarks, saying that ASEAN ministers must focus on efforts to shape the regional future, considering dual threats – climate change and artificial intelligence (AI) development – as well as great power rivalries that impact the region, including disturbance of supply chain and food security. (***)
