PHNOM PENH, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A leading Cambodian think tank on Wednesday hosted the fourth Phnom Penh Forum with a focus on ASEAN's strategic autonomy and policy choices in response to regional and global initiatives.

Under the theme of "Multilateralism vs. Unilateralism," the one-day forum brought together leading national and international experts, policymakers, and academics from Cambodia, Germany, India, the Philippines, and South Korea, among others.

Suos Yara, chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly's Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Information, said the forum was held at a time when regional and global geopolitical tensions are high, world peace is in severe deficit and economic insecurity is crashing down on socio-economic livelihoods of the people across the globe.

"ASEAN presents hope, yet ASEAN unity and centrality are being tarnished," he said in his keynote remarks, noting that the real regional strengths lie with "unity in diversity, political stability, sovereignty and integrity of political system, shared regional interests and how best the region optimizes its responses to new forms of external influence."

"Optimization of responses can be made collectively through various platforms, such the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Governance Initiative, the UN SDGs, the vision of the UN Summit of the Future," he said. "However, the vitality of this conundrum rests with the adherence to the principles of trust, respect, sincerity, integrity and ethical standards on top of the international law and justice system."

Speaking of the theme, Yara, who is also chairman of the Asian Cultural Council, said there is no doubt that multilateralism is preferred to unilateralism.

"ASEAN must be in the driving seat to stimulate the revival of an effective, resilient, and inclusive form of multilateralism," he said. "We must embrace multilateralism over unilateral hegemony or unilateral sanctions or punitive pressures."

Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the world has witnessed a marked shift towards unilateral actions in recent years, characterized by withdrawals from critical international agreements and the imposition of punitive trade measures.

"These actions have not only strained relations across the Asia-Pacific, but also created significant uncertainties for regional economic integration and multilateral cooperation frameworks," he said.

Phea said that conversely, the world has also seen the tangible benefits of consistent multilateral engagement.

"The deepening partnership between ASEAN and China stands as a compelling example, yielding mutual gains in trade, infrastructure, and sustainable development," he said. Enditem