[LABUAN Bajo, Indonesia] Asean must press on with its regional integration efforts – whether in economic collaboration or cooperation in transnational issues – amid an increasingly troubled global environment, said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday (May 10).

“Given the troubled global outlook, we must stay cohesive and united at the highest levels, including by embracing a shared vision for Asean’s future,” he said at the plenary of the Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

During the closed-door meeting, PM Lee said he welcomed two statements by Asean leaders – one on the development of the Asean community’s post-2025 vision, and the other on strengthening Asean’s capacity and institutional effectiveness.

These affirm the South-east Asian bloc’s shared commitment to “remain open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based, with deeper external engagements”, he said. They also push for new areas of cooperation, including sustainability, cybersecurity, and the digital and green economies.

On the economic front, PM Lee said there is a need to upgrade core agreements – such as the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement – to keep them relevant to evolving business practices, even as the bloc expands collaboration into new growth areas both within and with external partners.

Singapore “strongly supports” Indonesia’s efforts to develop the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement, PM Lee said, noting that there are “tremendous economic gains” to be reaped by improving the digital connectivity and literacy of people in Asean.

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He added that Singapore also supports the strengthening of energy interconnectivity under Indonesia’s chairmanship this year. An Asean power grid, he added, would not only strengthen member states’ energy security and resilience, but also advance regional decarbonisation.

The Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore power integration project shows that multilateral power trading in the region is feasible, and more can be done to build on this, he said.

Beyond the economic sphere, PM Lee called for a step-up in cooperation on transnational issues, such as in areas of cross-border human trafficking and cybersecurity.

Deepening cooperation in these areas, he said, requires strong political support, particularly in an “increasingly troubled” post-Covid global environment.

PM Lee also welcomed Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak to his first Asean Summit as an observer, adding that the bloc looks forward to adding the country as the 11th member.

He said Asean is taking a significant step to adopt a road map for Timor-Leste’s full membership, noting that the “robust and comprehensive” set of criteria has been “extensively discussed and carefully designed”.

Following the plenary, PM Lee met Taur on the sidelines and affirmed the long-standing and positive relations between Singapore and Timor-Leste.

A spokesperson from Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Singapore looks forward to the active participation of Timorese officials in the Singapore-Timor-Leste Asean Readiness Support training package that the city-state launched in December.

Separately, PM Lee and Vietnam PM Pham Minh Chinh discussed cooperation between their countries and exchanged views on regional developments during a meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

The PMO spokesperson said Singapore and Vietnam have a growing partnership in the green and digital economies, and the leaders look forward to making progress in these areas.

The two countries are commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year.

PM Lee’s third bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit was with the newly elected Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.

The leaders discussed areas to deepen cooperation in the energy, digital and sustainability domains, said the PMO spokesperson, adding that both countries enjoy warm and friendly relations.

PM Lee also congratulated Dr Sonexay on his appointment, the spokesperson said, adding that this is their first meeting since the latter became prime minister.