Emergence of the Global South to Navigate Global Economy Amid Challenges: Malaysian Representative
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Kuala Lumpur, Dec 14 (NationPress) The emergence of the Global South nations is steering the global economy through anticipated challenges and maintaining a lively international trade scene, a Malaysian representative stated on Saturday.
These advancements are poised to unlock potential and foster collaboration on various critical issues, such as addressing climate change, improving supply chain resilience, ensuring food security, and shaping the governance surrounding emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), remarked Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Chairman of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), during a conference in Kuala Lumpur.
"For Malaysia, the rise of the Global South serves as a unifying force that brings together our diversity, differences, and discretion. Contrary to the views of skeptics, the Global South is not a movement of exclusion, but rather one of inclusion," he articulated.
"Its objective is not to isolate the Global North but to champion a more equitable and balanced global system. Our mobilization is rooted in the acknowledgment of our increasing agency and the aspiration to collaborate as equals while navigating intricate strategic contexts together," he added, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Reezal emphasized that as a free and open trading nation, Malaysia will enhance its engagement with regional and sub-regional frameworks, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with Malaysia set to assume leadership of the grouping in 2025.
"Malaysia is dedicated to fortifying existing ASEAN mechanisms and institutions, ensuring they are not only resilient but also suitable for addressing the evolving challenges of our era. Furthermore, we aim to identify and leverage synergies with other frameworks that are essential for regional development and prosperity," he stated.
Meanwhile, Ong Tee Keat, President of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia-Pacific (BRICAP), highlighted that ASEAN's focus on centrality and its role as a neutral zone augurs well for its aspirations of economic growth in pursuit of common prosperity within the region.
"ASEAN has declared its centrality in addressing its security concerns and developmental priorities, remaining unwavering in its non-aligned commitment. This serves as a reminder to the world of its consistency in striving to establish the region as a zone of peace, freedom, and neutrality... ASEAN's focus is clearly directed towards economic growth in the pursuit of common prosperity for the region," he remarked.
The conference, organized by the Centre for Economic and Sustainable Development (Asia), convened trade and economic experts to explore trade cooperation within the context of a strengthening Global South.
