Malaysia’s ASEAN Moment – Ep 3: ASEAN Economic Community

Episode 3 of the “Malaysia’s ASEAN Moment” podcast series focuses on the ASEAN Economic Community. The esteemed Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, formerly the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry (MITI), shares her personal insights of the ASEAN Economic Community’s formation. Tune in to learn more about ASEAN economic integration […]

August 22, 2025

Digital Policy Alignment Crucial To Unlock Next Phase Of ASEAN-S. Korea Growth

By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid Farlina Said, director of cyber and technology policy at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, said this would also ensure inclusive participation across member economies. As it is, both regions have made significant strides in digital cooperation under the ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Plan of Action 2026–2030, she told […]

August 21, 2025

Experts urge Asean to align laws, close gaps in cybercrime fight

Farlina Said was quoted by Free Malaysia Today on 21 August 2025. by Sharmmen Raj Sanjeevraj KUALA LUMPUR: Regional experts have called for closer legal alignment and real-time intelligence-sharing to shore up Asean’s cyber resilience, with Southeast Asia’s patchwork of cybercrime laws leaving the region exposed. David Martinez Vinluan, executive director of the Asean Chiefs of […]

Economic Watch: Stronger cybersecurity key to unlocking ASEAN’s digital potential, experts say

Secure digital services, particularly in cross-border payments and financial services, will help build consumer confidence across the region, boost participation in the digital economy, and mitigate losses from cybercrime, Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific, said in his remarks at the forum “Unpacking the emerging challenges in […]

Malaysia’s ASEAN Moment – Ep 2: South China Sea

The second episode of the “Malaysia’s ASEAN Moment” podcast series dives into the South China Sea. Featuring guest speaker Assoc Prof Ngeow Chow Bing from the Institute of China Studies, Universiti Malaya, the discussion reveals Malaysia’s point of view in the disputed waters. Is Malaysia doing enough to support its ASEAN member states? Can we […]

Malaysia’s ASEAN Moment – Ep 1: Malaysia’s chairmanship

As Malaysia assumes the ASEAN chair in 2025, ISIS Malaysia brings you a podcast series diving into Malaysia’s approach and priorities from a policy perspective. Our first episode features special guest Prof Kuik Cheng Chwee from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Discussions include Malaysia’s legacies as ASEAN chair, the role of ASEAN-led multilateralism, and the ASEAN-GCC-China […]

March 18, 2025

My Say: Asean’s future lies in its own hands

In The Great Convergence, Richard Baldwin argues that revolutionary advances in information and communication technology (ICT) transformed globalisation in the 1990s with an economic logic only a few could fathom. In any event, the winds of change heralded the prospect of a high tech-low wages combo that drove accelerated growth in global trade as well […]

January 21, 2025

My Say: A new vision of Asean integration

Six decades on, the Asean that Malaysia is inheriting as chair this year is a vastly different entity. Indeed, Asean has proved to be one of the fastest-growing regions over the last half-century, with the bloc now the fifth-largest economy in the world. But it is not just economic size that makes Asean matter. It […]

October 29, 2024

My Say: Malaysia’s values-driven Asean chairmanship

Titled “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, Malaysia’s theme is as simple as it is symbolic. By opting to underscore its chairmanship with values rather than the typical slogans, it reflects the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim administration’s style of principles-driven leadership: forceful and robust, substantive and persuasive. As with the Madani values domestically, this opting of […]