Saadet Gokce
22 July 2026•Update: 22 July 2026
Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand highlighted global challenges Wednesday during their Post-Ministerial Conferences with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippine capital Manila.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed support for ASEAN's unity and centrality, saying Japan would like to deepen cooperation in areas of strong mutual interest and significant potential, including digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) and green transformation.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said disruptions to global supply chains, instability in the Middle East and rapid technological transformation were reshaping the region, creating both new opportunities and dangers.
"By strengthening our sense of solidarity, we can better navigate uncertainty, broaden our strategic space and create new opportunities for our peoples," Cho said.
Seoul is working with ASEAN on concrete initiatives, including an AI companionship initiative and a cultural and creative industries initiative, he said.
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that today's world is facing a new and unique set of challenges, including renewed geostrategic competition, challenges to the multilateral rules-based system, artificial intelligence, and climate change.
"Our partnership remains our greatest strength. It underpins our cooperation, our collaboration, our sharing of knowledge and expertise, our trade and our mutual prosperity," Peters said.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it had been a "challenging year" as the strategic landscape changed, competition intensified and the risks of escalation and miscalculation grew.
"The full impact of this year's shocks in the Middle East, in our region and in the global economy are still unfolding," she said, noting their effects on food and energy security, as well as fuel, fertilizer and other supply chains.
Australia will continue to support ASEAN-led initiatives that build economic resilience, including the ASEAN Power Grid and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement, Wong said.
She said the past year had highlighted how much countries rely on one another for security and prosperity, adding that ASEAN's central role and partnerships were crucial.
"ASEAN matters to Australia because, fundamentally, ASEAN holds the center of this region - a region where we live and where the world's future is being shaped. ASEAN builds relationships, shapes rules and fosters shared resilience," Wong said.
