The Malaysian Ambassador reveals new initiatives at the 46th ASEAN Summit, affirming Vietnam’s indispensable role
Ahead of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Malaysia and his participation in the 46th ASEAN Summit, Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam, Dato' Tan Yang Thai, shared with The World & Vietnam Report views on the significance of the Summit and his expectations for Vietnam’s contributions, while also emphasizing the importance of the visit to Malaysia–Vietnam relations.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim participated in the 2nd ASEAN Future Forum, which took place in Hanoi in February 2025. (Source: VGP) |
What are your expectations of the visit of the Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to our new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership?
This will be Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s maiden visit to Malaysia in his current role as Prime Minister. The last time a Prime Minister of Vietnam had carried out an official visit to Malaysia was in 2015. At the time, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his counterpart, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, had issued a joint statement establishing a strategic partnership between Malaysia and Vietnam.
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| Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato' Tan Yang Thai. (Photo: PH) |
Prime Minister Chinh’s official visit, coinciding with his attendance at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, is both timely and strategically significant.
It takes place at a moment when regional cooperation is more critical than ever, and when Malaysia and Vietnam have elevated our bilateral relationship to its highest level — a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The visit is also coming soon after the successful working visit of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Hanoi to deliver the keynote address at the ASEAN Future Forum.
During the working visit, Prime Minister Anwar met with General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuing and had a working breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Chinh. The two Prime Ministers have also been in regular contact with one another, recently having two telephone calls in April to discuss matters of relevance to bilateral relations.
In the context of these developments, we anticipate it will be a fruitful visit by Prime Minister Chinh to Malaysia. The visit will deepen political trust between our leaders through direct, high-level discussions. It will provide a direct platform for reviewing the implementation of key bilateral initiatives under our CSP so far, including cooperation to increase trade and investment, development of the halal industry, and cooperation in oil and gas; as well as efforts at exploring new frameworks in green economy cooperation, clean energy, and skills development. Prime Minister Chinh's visit is expected to further strengthen cooperation in economic and people-to-people ties that will benefit both nations.
As for Prime Minister Chinh’s important participation at the ASEAN Summit, it is a strong signal of commitment to our shared objective of building an ASEAN that is united, forward-looking, and central to regional peace.
What are key aspects you are focusing on to realize the substance of cooperation within the framework of the new partnership between the two countries?
Transforming the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into real, results-driven cooperation requires moving beyond declarations — toward implementation, policy alignment, and public-private partnerships.
Under the CSP framework, we aim to strengthen political trust and enhance defense and security cooperation through regular high-level exchanges and new collaborative efforts. This will help foster a peaceful and stable environment conducive to development.
Economically, we target a bilateral trade and investment goal of USD 18 billion by 2025, focusing on improving market access for key exports like agriculture, aquaculture, Halal products, and electronics. We also seek to expand investments in automation, smart logistics, innovation, and the digital economy.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took a selfie together at the ASEAN Future Forum 2025. (Photo: Hoang Hai) |
Strengthening people-to-people connections through cultural exchanges, education, and tourism is a priority.
Both nations are committed to working together within multilateral frameworks, particularly ASEAN, to promote regional peace and prosperity while upholding international law and ensuring freedom of navigation.
To promote these areas further, both sides will be expending efforts to enhance institutional cooperation via regular Joint Commission Meetings/Joint Trade Commissions, facilitate private sector dialogues and B2B linkages and considering expanding scholarships, training, and youth engagement platforms.
What are your comments on the significance of the 46th ASEAN Summit in relation to ASEAN's agenda and Vietnam's contributing role?
The 46th ASEAN Summit comes at a defining juncture for our region. ASEAN is navigating an era of deep transitions — strategic competition, supply chain reconfiguration, climate change, and digital disruption. In such a context, Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025 aims to re-anchor the bloc’s relevance through a threefold mission: unity, resilience, and global leadership.
The Summit will be a platform to consolidate support around the ASEAN Community Post-2025 Vision — a blueprint that aspires to make ASEAN more integrated, responsive, and globally proactive. In doing so, we are committed to: Preserving ASEAN Centrality and neutrality in an increasingly multipolar world; Ensuring that our economic agenda is inclusive, sustainable, and future-ready; Strengthening external partnerships while keeping ASEAN in the driver’s seat.
Vietnam’s role in this journey is, without question, indispensable. Vietnam has long been regarded as pivotal to ASEAN’s cohesion. Vietnam’s commitment to regional peace, non-alignment, and inclusive development resonates strongly with Malaysia’s own priorities for ASEAN 2025.
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| The atmosphere of preparations for the 46th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. (Source: Malaymail) |
We hope to work closely with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation in the following areas:
Firstly, strengthening ASEAN Unity in Diversity: Vietnam’s diplomatic voice is critical in consensus-building and maintaining the bloc’s collective neutrality.
Secondly, enhancing Economic Resilience: As Vietnam continues to post robust growth, we look forward to cooperation in regional mechanisms that support sustainable trade, digital cooperation, and energy connectivity.
Thirdly, promoting ASEAN’s Voice Globally: Malaysia looks to Vietnam as a partner in shaping ASEAN’s outreach to the world, as well as contributing to constructive dialogue with external partners such as China, the United States, the EU, and beyond.
Vietnam’s strategic importance and proactive approach make it an indispensable ally in ensuring the success of Malaysia’s Chairmanship and the enduring relevance of ASEAN.
With regard to ASEAN's cooperation with its partners, Could you please share any notable highlights or differences in this Summit compared to previous ones?
In conjunction with the ASEAN Summit, two major high-level meetings - the 2nd ASEAN–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the inugural ASEAN–GCC–China Summit – will also be held.
Southeast Asia, the Gulf, and China are home to more than two billion consumers and account for over 20% of the world’s GDP. The Summits are timely as these regions are some of the most dynamic in strengthening their global position and expanding their global reach.
In conjunction with these Summits, Malaysia will be hosting the ASEAN-GCC-China and ASEAN-GCC Economic Forums in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27-28 May 2025, respectively.
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