About the Workshop

Recognising the challenges posed by great power competition to the region, this workshop seeks to explore how ASEAN can reaffirm its agency and relevance in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment. The workshop explores ways to strengthen ASEAN’s centrality in the evolving regional architecture, enhance energy security cooperation, and leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, as key tools to bolster regional resilience and sustainable growth.

The 2025 edition workshop is focused on three themes: First, ASEAN’s evolving role since 1967 and the challenges to its relevance, particularly with the rise of minilateral groups like the Quad, AUKUS, and BRICS. How can ASEAN ensure its centrality and cooperate to deal with the complex challenges ahead? Second, ASEAN’s ability to harness the opportunities of the 4IR to drive integration, address digital divides, navigate geopolitical competition in technology adoption, and enhance its internal markets, competitiveness, and resilience. Third, strategies supporting ASEAN’s energy transition, with a particular emphasis on the development of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG). This will involve discussing opportunities for regional interconnectivity, regulatory harmonisation, and financing of critical infrastructure.