Singapore, Thailand to develop multi-year agenda for successive Asean chairmanships
PMs Lawrence Wong, Anutin Charnvirakul hold their first Leaders’ Retreat on Sep 2, after an 11-year hiatus
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[SINGAPORE] Singapore and Thailand agreed on Wednesday (Sep 2) to cooperate closely to drive a multi-year Asean agenda focused on continuity and momentum as Singapore prepares to chair the bloc next year before handing the gavel over to Thailand.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong described both countries as like-minded partners that have a shared interest in a strong and united Asean.
“By doing so, we can sustain the momentum on important initiatives, and make greater progress on issues that matter to our region,” he said at a joint press conference during the Leaders’ Retreat.
He was on a one-day trip to Bangkok for the first edition of the highest-level bilateral platform between him and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
This year marks the fifth edition of the retreat, after an 11-year hiatus. The previous one took place in 2015 between then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and former premier Prayut Chan-o-cha in Singapore. An earlier edition was held in 2005, and two others in 2003.
PM Anutin noted that both leaders have extensive discussions about the geopolitical landscape.
“We reaffirmed that Asean has an important role in supporting a peaceful and prosperous Myanmar,” said the Thai leader, noting that the kingdom will work closely with the country and Singapore to ensure further positive developments.
On Thailand-Cambodia relations, PM Anutin reaffirmed to PM Wong that Thailand remains committed to resolving differences with Cambodia peacefully through existing bilateral mechanisms.
Natural partners
At this year’s meeting, both leaders agreed to identify new opportunities for Singapore and Thailand companies to collaborate in fintech and the wider digital economy, said PM Wong.
The South-east Asian countries were responsible for launching in 2021 the world’s first linkage of real-time payment systems between Singapore’s PayNow and Thailand’s PromptPay.
“Now, we want to take the next step – to connect with more countries through a common multilateral framework,” said PM Wong.
Physical connectivity was identified as another area of cooperation.
Thailand has ambitious plans to strengthen its position as a regional trade and logistics hub, by upgrading its infrastructure and improving connections between its industrial centres, transport networks and ports, he noted.
And Singapore can be a natural partner in these efforts, as the city-state’s companies have capabilities and experience that can contribute to these plans, he added.
Anutin said: “We agreed to deepen bilateral trade and investments, and welcome more Singapore investments in semiconductors, the green and digital economies, and logistics.”
On emerging technologies – such as artificial intelligence, which the two countries are investing in and exploring ways to deploy more widely across their economies – there is scope for closer collaboration on practical applications, said PM Wong.
This includes areas both Singapore and Thailand have expertise in, such as manufacturing, healthcare and tourism.
Both countries could also exchange experiences on how to safely and responsibly deploy AI while encouraging innovation and adoption.
Food security
Another increasingly important priority for the two nations is food security.
At this year’s retreat, the prime ministers discussed how to further strengthen food supply chains by promoting collaboration between food producers and traders.
This, said PM Wong, plays to the strengths of both countries: Thailand as a major food producer and Singapore as a logistics and trading hub.
Last November, the two countries inked a memorandum of cooperation on rice trade; Thailand will support and facilitate the assured sale of rice on mutually agreed terms, upon request by the Singapore government.
This offers Thai producers new opportunities while giving Singapore greater assurance of rice supplies in times of crisis, said PM Wong.
Anutin noted at the joint press conference: “On food security, I assured PM Wong that Thailand will be Singapore’s trusted partner. We will build on our rice trade agreement to supply 100,000 tonnes of Thai rice over five years, and expand our cooperation to other products.”
On strengthening energy resilience, both countries are also working more closely on several efforts, including advancing the Asean Power Grid and deepening cooperation in carbon credits, he added.
At this year’s retreat, both premiers reviewed progress made and focused on how to turn those shared priorities into concrete projects.
“Bilateral relations are in excellent shape. It is underpinned by a high degree of trust and rapport at the leadership level as well as strong institutional ties between our two countries,” added PM Wong.
He also said: “We have every confidence in Thailand’s economy, and our companies continue to see good opportunities to invest and grow here for the long term.”
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