Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered a video message at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN NEXT 2025, on 3 December 2025. Hosted by Cambodia, this annual forum unites ASEAN Member States and Dialogue Partners to harness the power of infrastructure, technology, and innovation for manufacturing success. In his remark, Dr. Kao highlighted the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI) 2026–2035 — a bold roadmap to position ASEAN as an innovation-driven region, with one of the key targets is the strengthening of public-private partnerships in strategic sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, with measurable outcomes envisioned by 2030. He also underscored that ASEAN NEXT has become ASEAN’s commitment to strengthening industrial competitiveness through collaboration, innovation, and sustained investment in infrastructure.