Reflecting on a year marked by strategic diplomacy and complex geopolitics, Kao credited Malaysia’s leadership for elevating Asean from a regional bloc to a global convenor.

“I’m very proud of the fact that today, Asean is in the spotlight,” he told FMT.

“We have many countries that are now more willing to work with Asean. And the reason is because they believe that working with Asean is in their interest — of course, also our interest.”

Kao pointed to Malaysia’s ability to draw world leaders to the region and frame the agenda around both regional and global concerns.

“The fact is that Asean has been able to have this convening power, bringing leaders from around the world to be here and to discuss issues important to this region. Of course, these are important priorities for the world as well,” he added.

“I would say that Asean is really on the right track.”

Kao also acknowledged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s role in keeping Asean cohesive amid mounting challenges.

“Asean continues to hold together very well with unity and solidarity. You can see that Prime Minister Anwar is really making sure that Asean becomes a central force — a force that brings everyone together.

“That is why Asean now is at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. We attract so much interest, so much attention, priorities, and the hope that we will continue to keep peace, stability and unity.”

Kao also cautioned that this inclusive posture brought its own complexities. This included balancing a quicker response to emerging risks or challenges with cohesion to deliver on the Asean Community Vision 2045 so that “we never lose sight of the interests of our people”.

“There’s a saying that if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go very far, you go together.

“Speed is important but, at the same time, I think we have to bring everyone on board. We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” he added.

Hard-won gains

Kao described 2025 as a difficult year not just for Asean, but for the world — one in which Malaysia nevertheless steered the bloc towards meaningful breakthroughs.

“I would say that this is a very difficult year for Asean, for the world. Yet, I think Malaysia has really navigated strategically and achieved so much in this one-year period despite many challenges.”

Among the key achievements at the 47th Asean Summit were Timor-Leste’s long-awaited entry into the bloc, the upgrade of the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement, and the signing of the Asean-China FTA Upgrade Protocol 3.0.

Kao also noted Malaysia’s continued efforts to advance dialogue on Myanmar and its ability to manage rising geopolitical tensions while keeping Asean credible in the eyes of global powers.

“Navigating great power competition is very challenging, yet Prime Minister Anwar was able to bring both the US and China here,” he said, referring to the US president’s first Asean appearance since 2017.

He highlighted regional conflict management as another area where Asean, under Malaysia’s chairmanship, helped to keep tensions from escalating.

“I cannot forget the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. I feel that from this meeting there’s been very positive development.”

Kao credited the outcome to Malaysia’s facilitation of peace as Asean chair.

“The decisive leadership of Prime Minister Anwar as the chairman has been significant in that regard,” he added.