Not Homogeneous, but Hopeful: A Youth Vision for Asia’s Renaissance

Editor’s Note: Muhammad Reza Abedi bin Bahram, Administrative and Diplomatic Officer at Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shares his perspective on what the Asian renaissance means for younger generations. He argues that the future of Asia does not depend on making the region homogeneous, but on embracing its diversity and turning it into a source of shared strength and mutual benefit.

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On the question of youth expectations toward ACFTA, my perspective is naturally shaped by my work experience, so I would like to share some personal observations.

The ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement has been in place since 2005, and we are now discussing Version 3.0. At the same time, ASEAN and China are also connected through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP.

In practice, these are two parallel regimes that help govern tariffs, customs approvals, and trade procedures for different categories of products and services.

The ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement, in particular, places increasing emphasis on services and the digital economy, which are now considered new frontiers of economic development. These are still relatively new areas for many free trade agreements.

From an economic perspective, free trade agreements reduce friction through standardized rules, rules of origin, and more predictable trade flows. Over time, this helps increase trade exchanges among member countries.

At the same time, sustained trade flows also require stronger domestic capabilities so that trade relationships remain balanced between exporters and importers over the long term.

This is especially important for young people, many of whom now work in small and medium-sized enterprises or run businesses themselves.

As free trade agreements expand into more sectors of the economy, small and medium-sized enterprises also need to improve their capabilities. They need to understand which frameworks — whether ACFTA or RCEP — are more advantageous for specific products, services, or market conditions.

At the same time, the issue of trade imbalance remains a structural challenge. ASEAN as a whole, including Malaysia, continues to experience trade imbalances with China.

If productive capacities within ASEAN are not strengthened over time, ASEAN countries may eventually become only destinations for Chinese exports rather than complementary partners within a broader Asian supply chain.

The original goal of these agreements, however, is to share regional prosperity and build supply chains that are shorter, more resilient, and more localized.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent geopolitical tensions have shown that sustainable economic growth requires supply chains with greater redundancy, as well as stronger geographical and geopolitical security.

From a youth perspective, ASEAN countries are not monolithic. We have different political systems, different resource endowments, different development paths, and different levels of development.

The ongoing negotiations and dialogue surrounding the ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement reflect an important spirit behind the idea of an Asian renaissance: Asia is diverse, and that diversity itself creates opportunities for cooperation.

The question now is how to build future cooperation based on our own regional strengths, historical experiences, and cultural connections in ways that create genuinely mutual benefit.

(If you have specific expertise, or would like to share your thoughts, please send us your writings at CAobservation@outlook.com)