Asean is not just not a meeting of heads of government but a collective neutral bloc which operates on consensus, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when launching the Asean-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction and Housing 2024 on Wednesday (July 3).
He said neutrality and consensus among Asean nations are even more crucial now given ties with China.
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He said neutrality and consensus among Asean nations are even more crucial now given ties with China.
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/3f4rrshs
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
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NewsTranscript
00:00We are fortunate in ASEAN because of the value of trust, cohesiveness and preparedness, commitment
00:20to work together as a force.
00:23And this is of course commendable.
00:25We want every single country in ASEAN to benefit from this venture.
00:31That we achieve success, economic, social, together.
00:38And that is why we take this principle of neutrality to benefit from the experience
00:44of the West, Europe, United States and now with China.
00:51We don't need to be apologetic.
00:53I need to reiterate this point because I have personally been questioned a number of times.
01:02But as a region, we have decided that this principle of neutrality is pertinent, is important
01:11to advance not only our integration as a unit, but to advance our country, to ensure that
01:19we both in technological and here specifically in the construction and housing sector.
01:27And we need China, it has proven in the recent decades, this phenomenal growth, this remarkable
01:38achievement in combating poverty, unprecedented in the history of mankind, at least in recent
01:45history, and its capacity to adopt and adjust to meet the requirements of modern technology,
01:56digitalisation, to enhance efficiency and quality.
02:02I am glad too that ASEAN is not just a meeting of heads of governments, at the ministerial
02:10level, and go right through to heads of departments, agencies, discussing in a robust manner all
02:22fields of endeavour.
02:24And we share our experience, we discuss, we argue, but we do achieve a consensus, which
02:32to my mind is very pertinent.
02:35And in the housing sector, and the construction industry, and of course among architects,
02:43we should share this and collaborate, as we have seen in many other sectors.
02:52And involve not only governmental, but also private sector, and the researchers, and students,
03:00and the general public.
03:02We have to move in this sort of, what we say, synergising the strength of ASEAN, more
03:14so now that we have established an excellent relationship, strategic, for Malaysia it is
03:21comprehensive strategic partnership of China, and we should ensure that this would benefit
03:29both ASEAN and China.