BATU FERRINGHI — Asean member states must take biosecurity risks seriously, with or without the United States in the World Health Organisation (WHO), and anticipate them in order to prepare preventive measures, Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.
He said infectious diseases and pandemics are not just health issues but have become emerging security risks, and must be anticipated so that Asean is not reactive and caught off-guard.
“I think (whether) America withdraws or not (from WHO), biosecurity is something that we need to see as an emerging threat, especially after we saw what happened to all of us during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the minister said in a press conference after chairing the Asean Defence Ministers Retreat held at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort, here.
“We don’t want for anything to occur (first) and then only then we take action. We don’t want to (just) react. We (need to) anticipate, (and) we think that this is something that we need to address.”
Khaled was asked whether the retreat’s discussion on biosecurity risks was raised in relation to the US’ withdrawal from the WHO. The superpower nation is the largest financial contributor to WHO, having contributed US$1.284 billion during the for the 2022-2023 period.
Stakeholders have raised concerns that the US’ withdrawal from WHO would negatively impact its operations and hamper its role to detect, monitor and respond to emerging health threats, pandemics, and diseases of importance such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier, Khalid, in his welcoming address, recognised biosecurity risks as one of the current and emerging security challenges in the Asean region. He said pandemics and biological threats are no longer just health issues but pose serious risks to security readiness.
The minister noted how the Covid-19 pandemic had easily weakened economies and exposed vulnerabilities in security governance and infrastructures throughout the Asean region.
He also cautioned that Asean should expect to see more emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza (H5N1, H7N9) and Nipah virus due to rapid population growth and climate change.
“This means, Asean must amplify its defence in biological warfare.The incorporation of health and medicine within our defence policies is an immediate necessity,” Khaled told his Asean counterparts at the retreat.
South China Sea matters
Separately, on maritime security, Khaled said Malaysia was eager to discuss the matter as it had four seas under its territory, namely, the Sulu Sea, Sulawesi Sea, South China Sea, and Straits of Malacca.
“There are overlapping claims by other nations, and there are resources in all these seas.
“Therefore, that is why the issue of maritime security is very important also to many other Asean states. It is something that we just cannot avoid looking at,” he added.
Earlier, in his welcoming address, Asean must work collectively to safeguard member nations’ surrounding waters and passageways from emerging “hybrid threats”.
“Within this context and in line with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), Malaysia will prioritize maritime security cooperation, particularly in addressing cybersecurity threats in maritime operations,” he added.
The three-day ministers retreat, which started yesterday, involved more than 150 delegates from member states, and Timor Leste, which attended the retreat as an observer. – February 26, 2025