KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) — Experts speaking at the CARI Roundtable Series on the topic of “How does ASEAN navigate the new trade [dis]order?” organised by CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI) traced the roots of hedging behaviour and identified lack of cohesiveness as some of the weaknesses that ASEAN has to overcome while navigating the new trade uncertainties.
Professor Kuik Cheng Chwee, Associate Professor of the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS) at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said the growing US-China uncertainty has been the primary external factor shaping Southeast Asian security and economic environment in the Trump-Xi era, but the issue is not just about trade. It is also about the risks of power rivalries, the dangers of ASEAN marginalisation, and the politics of infrastructure development partnerships.