ANU Malaysia Update 2025: Malaysia's Regional Role

Presented by ANU College of Asia & the Pacific

VENUE

The Conference will be held in hybrid mode, i.e. in-person on the ANU Campus, and live-streamed on zoom.

IN-PERSON: Auditorium, Australian Centre on China in the World, Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU, Canberra, Australia
ONLINE: Live-streamed via Zoom, please note no Q&A from the online audience, we apologise for this inconvenience.

Please select the relevant ticket, in-person or online, according to your preferred attendance mode.

Image: City view of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Hongwei FAN via Unsplash

ANU Malaysia Update 2025: Malaysia's Regional Role

The ANU Malaysia Update Conference is a biennial event bringing together leading scholars and distinguished speakers in Malaysia and Australia to the Australian ��ýapp University in Canberra. The theme of the 2025 conference explores Malaysia’s role in ASEAN, in Southeast Asia, and broadly in the Asia-Pacific. It positions Malaysia in a broader regional context, delving into pressing issues within foreign policy and trade, culture, politics and society. The conference will engage in pressing debates involving Malaysia at a time of political unpredictability, trade and culture ‘wars’, and rapid technological change in the Asia-Pacific.

The conference will feature leading academics of Malaysian Studies in Australia and Malaysia, as well as contributions from policymakers, students, and the general public.

PROGRAM DETAILS

09:00 AM Opening Remarks

Professor Helen Sullivan, Dean, College of Asia and the Pacific
Her Excellency Datin Paduka, Sharrina Abdullah, Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia
Associate Professor Ross Tapsell, Director, ANU Malaysia Institute
The Honourable Mr Zhi Soon, Member of Banks

09:20 AM Foreign Policy Update

Professor Ngeow Chow Bing, Director, Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya

Discussant: Ms Sharon Seah, ISEAS/ANU
Moderator: Ms Susannah Patton, Lowy Institute

10:30 AM Morning tea

11:00 AM Cultural Update

Ms Hanna Alkaf, Malaysian writer and novelist

Discussant: Dr Simon Soon, University of Melbourne
Moderator: Dr Ying Xin Show, ANU

12:00 PM Lunch and Friday Prayers

01:30 PM Political Update

Associate Professor Syaza Farhana Shukri, Head, Department of Political Science, International Islamic University of Malaysia

Discussant: Dr Seb Dettman, Singapore Management University
Moderator: Associate Professor Ross Tapsell, ANU

02:30 PM Afternoon tea

02:50 PM Malaysian studies roundtable discussion and short presentations

This roundtable explores the theme of the Update – Malaysia in its Region – by bringing together emerging Australia-based scholars whose work engages with Malaysia across diverse disciplines. The session invites reflections on the current state of Malaysian studies, the pressing issues and challenges facing the field, and fresh ideas for future research and policy engagement.

Short presentations from: