Singapore-China partnership could be building block for the region

CLOSER economic integration within Asean will once again be a key strategic objective for Singapore when it assumes the chairmanship of the regional association in 2027.

Speaking at the annual FutureChina Global Forum on Sep 25, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong urged Singapore and China to make a stronger and more resilient Asean a shared priority – with regional connectivity, trade and capability-building identified as major growth levers for the bloc.

The avenues that he outlined for Sino-Singapore cooperation overlap with those already identified as crucial for Asean: trade links, digitalisation and the green economy.

The areas of collaboration that Gan proposed to Chinese counterparts, in fact, align with initiatives that Singapore already supports. These include the Asean Single Window for electronic trade-related data, the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement to be signed in Nov 2026, and the possible Asean Green Economy Framework Agreement that member states are now studying.

Gan’s call for Singapore and China to work in tandem to deepen Asean integration is a canny move that leverages strengths in the two countries’ relationship.

By keeping the focus on these growth areas, Singapore offers China and other partners an opportunity to participate in the region’s untapped economic potential – while allowing South-east Asian countries, rather than external investors, to set the tone and direction.

For example, the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, which was jointly launched by Singapore and China in November 2015, has been reimagined as part of a greater trade corridor between western China and South-east Asia. While China gains by developing its interior regions, the initiative also solidifies Singapore’s critical position as a gateway to Asean.

Building an infrastructure of trust

That gateway role is not just geographical. More importantly, working with China to encourage investment in Asean reinforces Singapore’s status as a trusted regional operator.

Though the benefits of Chinese infrastructure projects have been welcomed by many South-east Asians, respondents in a recent survey also flagged the risk of unsustainable fiscal indebtedness to China, as well as environmental damage, as potential downsides. Such concerns can be mitigated by the involvement of another credible partner – Singapore.

By taking a leading role, Singapore can anchor foreign investment to principled South-east Asian sovereignty. As Gan emphasised: “We want an Asean that remains open to the world, with the capabilities, connections and agency to be able to shape our own future.”

In clearly defining its agenda, Singapore also lays the groundwork for the upcoming review of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – the mega-free trade agreement that includes 10 Asean states, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

An ASEAN Bulletin article published in early 2026 by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s Centre on Asia and Globalisation has noted shortcomings of the RCEP, such as rules around data and digitalisation that the analyst dubbed “inadequate for modern trade”.

Mandated as part of the trade agreement, the RCEP review in 2027 is not only necessary to ensure that the deal remains fit for purpose – it also presents another opportunity for Singapore to assert the interests of Asean, which are aligned with the Republic’s own.

In the process, the Republic cements its reputation for global relevance. All this is in line with an earlier observation by Gan – that a small economy like Singapore gets its competitive edge “by being useful to many, while being difficult to replace in a few important areas”.