00:00Foreign Minister Mohamed Hassan has called on ASEAN member states to urgently strengthen
00:07regional economic integration and collective resilience amid intensifying global disruptions,
00:13such as the US-China trade war. He said ASEAN nations were among those most affected by US-imposed
00:20tariffs, indicating that superpower competition and resulting shifts in the global order have
00:26disrupted the regional landscape. Speaking at the ASEAN Foreign Minister's meeting today,
00:31Mohamed said the bloc needed to approach the issue collectively and take an active
00:36role in navigating the turbulence of the coming years. He said this was the moment to deepen
00:41regional economic integration to better shield the region from external shocks.
00:46As ASEAN advances its community-building efforts, he emphasized that reducing income disparities
00:51within the region must be treated as a priority. He also called on member states to strengthen
00:57intra-ASEAN trade mechanisms by tailoring them to each country's strengths, saying this would
01:02help address uneven growth and better prepare the bloc for future external economic shocks.
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