Abstract

Rising US-China rivalry and shifting regional geopolitics have increasingly preoccupied strategic thinkers and policymakers in Southeast Asia in recent years. The arena of great-power competition now spans the global trading system and new security domains such as cyberspace and information operations.  ASEAN and its member states have sought to adapt to these new challenges and uncertainties As a key regional player, Malaysia provided proactive and energetic leadership as ASEAN Chair in 2025, at a time of severe international and regional disruptions.  A strategic and articulate policymaker with three decades of public service, Raja Dato’ Nushirwan will share with the audience Malaysia’s experience and assessment of these geopolitical challenges and their implications for Southeast Asia. As former ambassador to China and Iran, respectively, and with his experience representing Malaysia at the United Nations, he is uniquely placed to speak to this moment of global and regional disorder in the Middle East, and the trajectory of multilateralism.

About the Speaker

Raja Dato’ Nushirwan bin Zainal Abidin is a Malaysian diplomat and public servant with over three decades of experience in foreign affairs and national security. Educated in economics and public administration, he has held key roles in Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and represented the country at the United Nations in Geneva and in New York. He served as Ambassador to Iran and later became Deputy Secretary-General for Bilateral Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his tenure as Ambassador to China from 2019 until 2023, bilateral relations strengthened, with trade increasing to beyond USD 200 billion in 2022. He was appointed Director-General for National Security in 2023, overseeing national security policy, alongside leadership roles in maritime and cybersecurity institutions.