00:00Our position, ASEAN centrality, we continue to have good bilateral and excellent trading investment relations with the United States.
00:16At the same time, our position in ASEAN is to ensure that our relations, particularly with China, other than Japan, Korea and the neighboring countries, remain strong and formidable.
00:29Why? Because we protect our own economy, domestic economy.
00:33Again, the reason is our priority, imperative, is to ensure that our fundamentals remain strong.
00:42Our fundamentals will remain strong if we can secure peace in this region.
00:47And peace would mean be friendly to all our neighbors.
00:52And as I've said and reiterated, China is a very important player and we can't ignore.
00:59I mean, yes, some countries have problems, but yes, we'll continue to navigate in the best manner possible to secure peace and security.
01:08At the same time, to ensure that we obtain most benefit in terms of economic, investments and related areas.
01:20With your support, then we will then push this agenda ahead.
01:25With Vietnam, for example, in the energy transition grid, ASEAN energy grid, of course, ideally we should go through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand down.
01:41It will be a phenomenal course. We are at the second stage.
01:45But the first stage, for example, is energy grid from Vietnam under sea cable to north of Malaya, right through, down to south and to Singapore.
01:55And then we were thinking of how to collaborate through Batam and then Sarawak to Sabah and even south Philippines.
02:02I mean, these are issues that we can not only explore, but we have to cement this and push fast enough.
02:11And there's no point of lamenting about problems that we can't easily resolve.
02:16Problem with the United States is not something that we can easily resolve.
02:20But intra-ASEAN trade, intra-ASEAN initiative, customs and investments, this we can.
02:27And I think we should do it at a faster pace.
02:30When I wrote the Asian Renaissance 25 years ago, I said we take great pride in the forging ASEAN ahead as a major economic focus and fundamentals.
02:47But it's not just economic empowerment. It's cultural vibrancy and empowerment.
02:56So with that note, I thank you again. Terima kasih.
03:00Thank you. Yang amat berhormat, Datuk Sri Anwar.
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