ASEAN should focus on digital economy, energy resilience, broadening networks amid global uncertainty: PM Wong

详细摘要

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was speaking at the plenary session of the 49th ASEAN Summit in the Philippine capital of Manila.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was speaking at the plenary session of the 49th ASEAN Summit in the Philippine capital of Manila.

MANILA: In an increasingly contested and unpredictable world, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs to focus on deepening cooperation in the digital economy, strengthening its energy resilience and broadening its external networks, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sunday (Nov 15).

Speaking at the plenary session of the 49th ASEAN Summit in the Philippine capital of Manila, Mr Wong called on member states to prioritise seamless cross-border transactions and to ratify the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement, while keeping external partners involved in the growth and security of this region.

“Looking ahead, we can expect more turbulence and storms, but so long as we remain cohesive and united, I'm sure we can continue to navigate our path forward and emerge stronger,” said Mr Wong, who is also Singapore's finance minister.

Earlier, Mr Wong and other ASEAN leaders were welcomed to the summit venue at the Philippine International Convention Center by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

During the opening ceremony, the emblem of the regional bloc was updated to reflect ASEAN's new composition after Timor-Leste joined as its eleventh and newest member in October last year, with an additional stalk of padi added in the centre.

The stalks represent the dream of ASEAN’s founding fathers for a bloc comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound together in friendship and solidarity.

In his remarks, Mr Wong said that since the ASEAN leaders last met in May for the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, where they discussed how the world has become "more contested and unpredictable", the bloc has responded decisively by coming together and making progress on issues that matter to its people.

He cited Saturday's signing of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) as an example of deepening integration, and called for member states to…

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