Malaysia's trade minister calls on Asean, Hong Kong, mainland China to shape the ‘Asian century'
At the 'China Conference: Southeast Asia', organised by the South China Morning Post in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz hailed 2025 as Asean's year, vowing to make Asean centrality 'not just an ideal'. He underscored how Hong Kong can serve as a gateway to mainland China for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, while Malaysia could serve the same purpose for Hong Kong to Asean and beyond. Below is his closing speech in full:
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The Honourable John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,
Ms Catherine So, CEO of the Post,
It has been an honour to share the stage today with the Honourable John KC Lee, chief executive of Hong Kong. I also want to thank the Post, the sponsors and partners, the distinguished speakers and everyone who took the time to be with us today for the excellent sessions.
Without summarising every single thing that was said, I think, arguably, the obvious sentiment in this conference is that Asean and China's potential is unrivalled and that the recognition that we need to be connected remains as strong as ever.
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The key is to stay the course, even though there will of course be many distractions moving forward, as well as deliver on our individual and shared potential.
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