ASEAN OUTLOOK ON THE INDO-PACIFIC (AOIP) FORUM 2025 “TOWARDS AN INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE INDO-PACIFIC” KUALA LUMPUR 14 – 15 NOVEMBER 2025

ASEAN OUTLOOK ON THE INDO-PACIFIC (AOIP) FORUM 2025

"TOWARDS AN INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE INDO-PACIFIC"

KUALA LUMPUR

14 - 15 NOVEMBER 2025

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia successfully convened the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) Forum 2025 on 14 to 15 November 2025. Titled "Towards an inclusive and sustainable Indo-Pacific", the jointly organised forum builds upon the AOIP's ongoing efforts to bridge geostrategic dialogue with sustainable development. It also considers the multifaceted implications of various Indo-Pacific strategies while adopting a broader strategic vision.

Held over two days, the forum commenced with a welcoming dinner for its delegates on 14 November, where Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SOM Leader of Malaysia Dato' Sri Amran Mohamed Zin delivered the keynote address. He underscored that "the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) reflects ASEAN's enduring belief that the region must remain open, inclusive, and anchored in cooperation. It is not about choosing sides, but about building bridges in shaping a future that is peaceful, sustainable, and shared by all".

He further emphasised that "for Malaysia, the AOIP is not an abstract vision, but a practical expression of the future we seek, one where inclusivity is power, sustainability is strategy, and centrality is our shared responsibility. This is the very spirit that underpins Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025."

The second day of proceedings on 15 November featured four thematic sessions and brought together over 20 esteemed panellists from the region, comprising practitioners, policymakers, academics and think-tank representatives. The sessions explored:

i. the intersection of geopolitics and geoeconomics in the Indo-Pacific;

ii. linking the AOIP with the ASEAN's Community Vision (ACV) 2045;

iii. confidence-building measures in the maritime domain; and

iv. synergies between various Indo-Pacific strategies.

Chairman of ISIS Malaysia Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah remarked "the AOIP has been going through significant shifts since its launch in 2019. From its mainstreaming in 2022 to its renewed framing last year as the core of ASEAN's future-proofing efforts, the AOIP is a statement of intent. It articulates how ASEAN wishes to engage the wider Indo-Pacific on its own terms, anchored in openness, inclusivity and cooperation. A clear and reinvigorated sense of ASEAN Centrality will be the driving force of the AOIP."

Formally adopted in June 2019, the AOIP advocates for greater ASEAN agency and unity in the region, in the face of acute geopolitical change. It promotes ASEAN Centrality as the underlying principle for fostering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, leveraging ASEAN-led mechanisms, such as the East Asia Summit (EAS) as platforms for dialogue and implementation.

PUTRAJAYA

15 November 2025