Speaking at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 26 and Monday 27 October, the President of the European Council, António Costa, said that the EU and the South-East Asian region must remain connected, “not just through trade, but also through deeper ties in areas like digital infrastructure, energy, and green transition”.
The European Union is the third largest trading partner and the third largest investor in the ASEAN countries.
In his opening speech on 26 October, the President welcomed the fact that the EU had signed a trade agreement with Indonesia (see EUROPE 13715/15), after Singapore and Vietnam.
“Negotiations with Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia are progressing well, and step by step, these agreements are bringing our two regions ever closer together”.
The EU’s long-term objective is to seal a regional free trade agreement between the EU and ASEAN (see EUROPE 13679/14).
Mr Costa also recalled the support reaffirmed at the EU’s Global Gateway Forum for key regional connectivity projects, such as the ASEAN Power Grid, and stressed the need for cooperation on maritime safety.
In general terms, the President called for closer ties between two regions that subscribe to “multilateralism, the rules-based international order and the principles of the United Nations Charter”.
“International law must prevail everywhere (...). In the South China Sea, in Gaza and in Ukraine”, he added.
Talks with China. On the sidelines of the summit, on 27 October, Mr Costa held talks with the Chinese Premier, Li Qiang. In particular, he recalled that the EU expected China to help put an end to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
“This war constitutes an existential threat to the security of the EU”, he reiterated.
He also raised concerns about China’s increasing export controls on key raw materials and related goods and technologies (see other news) and called for a wider rebalancing of trade and economic relations, as requested at the EU-China Summit in July (see EUROPE 13687/1).
Furthermore, in the run-up to the COP30 in Brazil, Mr Costa stressed that the opportunity should be seized for both blocs to “lead with ambition” in order to achieve a positive outcome on climate policy (see EUROPE 13732/5). (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)