As more than 30 heads of states - including US President Donald Trump - gather in Kuala Lumpur this weekend for the 2025 Asean Summit, analysts stressed that the success of Malaysia’s Asean leadership should be measured by impact, instead of optics of its high-profile guest list.

Institute of Strategic Studies Malaysia (Isis) head of foreign affairs Thomas Daniel also reminded Putrajaya that Trump’s presence should not outshine important regional issues within Asean.

“There is a lot going on within Asean, such as the Digital Economic Framework, a lot of this socio-cultural integration, and efforts for Asean to become more streamlined and more integrated.

“These are the ‘boring stuff’, which are still important for...