Izzah Ibrahim was quoted in Free Malaysia Today, 6 July 2025
Wisma Putra says Asean is seeing signs of progress in getting other nuclear powers to also support the SEANWFZ.
By Alina Khai
KUALA LUMPUR: Asean will continue pushing to uphold the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), with indications of progress in persuading nuclear powers to sign on, Wisma Putra said.
Foreign ministry secretary-general Amran Zin said the issue will be a key focus at the SEANWFZ Commission meeting on July 8, which may also include discussions on Timor-Leste’s accession to the treaty.
“The issue of nuclear powers’ participation in SEANWFZ is given due attention,” he said at a media briefing ahead of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting and Post-Ministerial Conference (AFMM-PMC) from July 8 to July 11.
“The main issue involves the nuclear power states’ reservations towards the SEANWFZ protocol.”
Foreign minister Mohamad Hassan previously announced that China and Russia have agreed to sign the treaty, while the US was still reviewing it.
Unlike other nuclear-free zones, the SEANWFZ (also known as the Bangkok Treaty) encompasses not only land but also continental shelves and exclusive economic zones, including disputed areas in the South China Sea, and contains a clause requiring negative security assurances from nuclear powers.
Analysts have said that this treaty is crucial as tensions grow in the Indo-Pacific.
“Asean has been steadfast on SEANWFZ. This is one of six in the world to ensure this region refrains from developing, manufacturing, acquiring and testing nuclear weapons, or hosting them,” Izzah Ibrahim of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) told FMT.
She said Asean has been working with Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to strengthen nuclear safety and security.
“Declarations in the last Asean Summit also supported the non-proliferation regime through their plan of action and continued efforts to invite the five nuclear weapon states to sign on,” she said.
Alvin Chew, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the nuclear powers’ reluctance to endorse SEANWFZ stems from its broad geographical scope.
“The SEANWFZ is contentious because of the expansive geographical coverage into disputed areas of the South China Sea. The unsettled territorial coverage of the zone makes it a challenge for the nuclear weapons states to sign on,” he said.
Still, Chew warned that failing to push for nuclear restraint could have dangerous consequences.
“There are growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific that could lead to nuclear conflict if superpowers aren’t careful,” he said, warning that Southeast Asia could get caught in the crossfire as it lies between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
In June, Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran, reportedly over concerns about its nuclear programme. UN experts have condemned the strike as a clear violation of international law, which prohibits preventive attacks based on suspected nuclear activity.
Use of dual technologies
As more Southeast Asian countries consider nuclear energy for civilian use, safeguards are crucial to prevent any misuse of nuclear materials.
“The IAEA is the only international organisation authorised to implement safeguard measures on civilian nuclear facilities,” Chew said.
These safeguards ensure nuclear material is not diverted for weapons by monitoring uranium enrichment and plutonium extraction, but newer nuclear technologies present fresh challenges.
“Most of the advanced reactor technology, whereby fuels will be loaded online throughout the operation, makes it challenging for the IAEA to account for the stockpile of nuclear materials,” he added.
“Therefore, the IAEA needs to develop safeguard measures for these advanced reactors before they can be deployed to this region.”
This article first published in Free Malaysia Today, 6 July 2025
