Earlier this week, local media outlets reported that Malaysia, as the 2015 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), had formulated strategies and priorities to realize the establishment of an ASEAN Community by the end of 2015 ahead of the 26th ASEAN Summit and related meetings to be held in Malaysia this weekend.
The reports were based on an interview that Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had given Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama. In that interview, Anifah outlined some of the specific priorities Malaysia had as ASEAN chair for the year. These were not new and were drawn from the eight priorities Malaysia outlined for its chairmanship back in January. The eight priorities were: the official formation of a strong ASEAN community; building a post-2015 vision with related guidelines and documents; steering ASEAN closer to the people; developing small- and medium-sized enterprises; expanding intra-ASEAN trade and investment, strengthening ASEAN institutions; promoting regional peace and security; and enhancing the association’s role as a global player. I covered some of these priorities in an earlier piece here.
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