ASEAN 2025: The Quiet Superpower Shaping a Fragmented World

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From Washington to Beijing, world leaders converge on Kuala Lumpur as ASEAN emerges as the gravitational center of global diplomacy — and India deepens its strategic embrace of the Indo-Pacific.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, October 26, 2025 —The 47th ASEAN Summit may well be remembered as the moment the world’s geopolitical compass tilted decisively toward Southeast Asia. Presidents, prime ministers, and CEOs from across the globe — from Donald Trump to Li Qiang, Sanae Takaichi to Lula da Silva — gathered in Malaysia’s capital not merely for protocol but for participation in the shaping of a new world order.

Former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev, in a widely shared commentary on LinkedIn, called ASEAN “the gravitational centre of the global economy.” He’s right. With a combined GDP exceeding $4.1 trillion, trade surpassing $3.8 trillion, and a population nearing 700 million, ASEAN’s significance now extends beyond economics — it represents a model of coexistence in a divided world.

The ASEAN Way — pragmatic, consensus-driven, and resilient — has allowed democracies, monarchies, and socialist republics alike to coexist and prosper. “Political systems may differ, but economic ambition unites,” Otorbaev wrote. Amid the escalating U.S.–China rivalry, ASEAN has positioned itself as the only platform where both superpowers — and their allies — engage on equal terms.

India’s ASEAN Moment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual address underscored this strategic centrality. Congratulating Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and welcoming East Timor as ASEAN’s 11th member, Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to “ASEAN centrality” and the Indo-Pacific Outlook.

“India and ASEAN together represent nearly one-fourth of the world’s population,” Modi said, adding: “We share not just geography but deep historical and civilizational ties. ASEAN is the main pillar of India’s Act East Policy.”

His announcement of 2026 as the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation signals New Delhi’s intent to deepen engagement in blue economy, disaster relief, and maritime security — areas where India’s credibility as a dependable partner has steadily grown.

The themes of inclusivity and sustainability, the pillars of this year’s summit, mirror India’s own developmental ethos. Modi emphasized cooperation in digital inclusion, resilient supply chains, and green energy — all key to ASEAN’s Vision 2045 blueprint to transform the bloc into a hub of digital and green growth.

The New Axis of Multipolarity

ASEAN’s quiet resilience contrasts sharply with the turbulence of global geopolitics. While Washington seeks renewed engagement and Beijing markets its Belt and Road 2.0, ASEAN refuses to be drawn into binary alignments. Its strength lies in neutrality — in proving that cooperation, not confrontation, remains the most powerful form of influence.

The Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) under negotiation could unlock a $2 trillion regional digital market by 2030, harmonizing AI, cybersecurity, and e-commerce standards. Combined with a rapidly expanding middle class and 15% share of global FDI, ASEAN’s economic magnetism is now matched by its diplomatic weight.

Yet, challenges persist — Myanmar’s conflict, South China Sea tensions, and climate vulnerabilities test the bloc’s consensus-based model. Still, ASEAN’s steady hand in an age of volatility makes it indispensable to the emerging multipolar order.

As Otorbaev concluded, “The question is no longer whether ASEAN matters. It’s whether the world can afford to move forward without it.”

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