October 27, 2025
BANGKOK – Speaking at the ASEAN Summit, the Prime Minister congratulated Timor-Leste and outlined a three-point plan focusing on combating online fraud, boosting green finance, and ensuring strategic autonomy.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul used his first major multilateral platform at the 47th ASEAN Summit Plenary Session on Sunday to emphasise the need for regional unity against transnational threats, explicitly naming online scams and cybercrime as key targets.
Speaking in Kuala Lumpur, the Prime Minister congratulated Timor-Leste on its new membership, reaffirming that ASEAN forms the cornerstone of Thailand’s foreign policy.
In his address to leaders, including the Prime Ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom and the head of the IMF, Anutin outlined three critical strategies for the bloc:
1. Security and Scammer Threats
Anutin called for the creation of an ASEAN Community that is “safe and secure for its people.”
He stressed that the well-being of citizens depends on the ability to counter new threats that directly impact daily life, specifically mentioning cybercrime, online fraud, and human trafficking.
Thailand is proposing the establishment of a cooperation network to enhance intelligence sharing and effective joint operations against these groups. The plan also includes strengthening ASEAN centres, such as the Centre for Public Health Emergencies (ACPHEED), to better handle cross-border pollution, natural disasters, and epidemics.
2. Sustainable Economic Integration
The Prime Minister welcomed the signing of the revised ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and the 3rd ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement during the summit.
He expressed confidence that the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) could be signed within the next year.
Anutin also highlighted the need for a green transition, urging investment in clean energy, the ASEAN Power Grid project, and green finance to ensure sustainable growth.
3. Peace and Strategic Autonomy
Finally, the Prime Minister advocated for reinforcing regional stability through adherence to a rules-based system. He promoted constructive engagement with external partners under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) to bolster ASEAN’s “Strategic Autonomy.”
This approach, he argued, would enhance the bloc’s role on the global stage “as a force for peace, prosperity, and progress.”
Anutin concluded by congratulating Malaysia on its successful chairmanship and expressing Thailand’s full support for the Philippines, which will lead ASEAN next year as the bloc drives the “ASEAN Community Vision 2045.”
The session saw the adoption of 16 Summit documents and included the witnessing of the Instrument of Ratification for the 2nd Amendment to the ATIGA.