Malaysian Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong met Bangladesh's NDC delegation in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, urging ASEAN to consider Bangladesh's membership. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, June 3, 2025 (BSS) - Malaysian Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to seriously consider Bangladesh's inclusion as a member, citing the country's rising economic potential and strategic importance in the region.

 "I believe it is a great idea that ASEAN should seriously consider," he said while meeting with a visiting delegation from the National Defence College (NDC) of Bangladesh led by Major General Md Moshfequr Rahman in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. 
 
"I read that in a keynote address to Nikkei's annual Future of Asia conference in Tokyo, Chief Adviser of the Bangladeshi interim government Mr Muhammad Yunus has once again expressed his country's interest in joining ASEAN," he wrote in his official facebook, shared by Bangladesh embassy in Kua Lumpur today.           
 
The junior minister hoped to see greater economic ties between Malaysia and Bangladesh in the coming days. 
 
He said that Bangladesh is a country very relevant to the Malaysian economy, not just because millions of Bangladeshis had worked here but also its economic potential as the world's 8th most populous nation. 
 
The deputy minister informed the delegation that he will visit Bangladesh at the end of June.