The history of the 21st century will be written in Asia, and the United States intends to be part of it, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared in Kuala Lumpur during the foreign ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) that ended on Saturday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned that global trade is being weaponized as U.S. tariffs loom over Southeast Asia.

Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada intends to continue a mutilateral trade relationship with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Canada believes the global economy will be driven by the Indo-Pacific region in the years ahead, she added.

The U.S. secretary of state met with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of a gathering of Southeast Asian nations, where he also defended new U.S. tariff threats.

Since 2016, the share of U.S. imports from China has fallen by nearly half, while imports from the Association of Southeast Asian

The nuclear ban treaty, established in 1997, limits the member nations' use of nuclear weapons to peaceful purposes, like power generation.

“Corruption remains one of the most serious challenges facing the South-East Asia region,” said Megumi Hara, UNODC Crime prevention and criminal justice officer specialized in anti-corruption. “Investigative journalism is one of the strongest accountability mechanisms we have, and we are committed to fostering the environments where it can thrive.”

YUEN FOONG KHONG is Li Ka Shing Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Centre on Asia and Globalization at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.