New delhi: Malaysia sees strong potential for BRICS and ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in building economic resilience through strategic collaboration, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said. Speaking during the BRICS Partners' Foreign Ministers' Meeting here today, he said such collaboration could include strengthening trade linkages, advancing quality infrastructure development, deepening cooperation in digital and emerging technologies as well as promoting sustainable and green growth.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, geopolitical tensions and trade policy uncertainties are accelerating a shift from efficiency-driven globalisation toward resilience-driven regionalisation. As a result, global supply chains are becoming more diversified, regionalised, and risk-managed, with capital flowing mostly toward economies that are perceived as stable and predictable. The minister, currently on a two-day working visit to New Delhi for the BRICS Partners' Foreign Ministers' Meeting from May 14-15, noted that ASEAN is gaining prominence as a neutral, rules-based, and economically dynamic region, offering an attractive alternative for investors seeking diversification.
The minister emphasized that as BRICS marks its 20th anniversary, the grouping must now focus on translating shared concerns into shared solutions. He questioned whether the group could move from shared concerns to shared solutions and build systems that are more resilient in crisis, open to innovation, collaborative in practice, and sustainable in outcome. Mohamad stated that Malaysia remains ready to work with BRICS as a constructive partner in shaping a more balanced global order. He added that the ultimate goal is to build a future that is resilient, inclusive, and sustainable for all.
BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. Malaysia, together with Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, will become BRICS Partner Countries starting January 1, 2025, while Nigeria obtained the same status on January 17, 2025, and Vietnam on June 13, 2025. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam are also member countries of ASEAN, alongside Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste.