Asean's future is S'pore's future: PM Wong

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong laid out the promise, potential, and prowess of Asean, as well as the important role the Southeast Asian bloc plays for Singapore.

Asean priority

In a five-minute video shared on his socials, PM Wong drew attention to the series of introductory visits he had made to the Asean capitals, excluding Naypyidaw due to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.

Since May 2024, when PM Wong became Prime Minister, he has prioritised Asean countries for introductory visits, with the only deviations being multilateral meetings and the introductory visit he made to China.

This priority on Asean is because Asean is “our immediate neighbourhood”.

“We have close bilateral ties with all its members, and it’s in our shared interest to have a strong and united Asean.”

PM Wong acknowledged the profound changes that the world was undergoing and the rise of geopolitical tensions, but said that it was not the first time the region had faced such uncertainty.

Geopolitical turmoil

Asean was founded in 1967, in the teeth of the Cold War, itself a time of great geopolitical turmoil.

Then, as now, the founding leaders of Asean knew that the region was better off facing challenges together, rather than alone.

Asean came together through respecting each other’s sovereignty and “focusing on mutual cooperation”, and through that formed the “unity that helped lay the foundations for peace and stability” in the region.

Asean, PM Wong said, has seen conflict before, once being treated as an “arena for proxy wars by major powers”.

Asean did not want that to happen again, nor could it afford to have disputes divide us.

Asean had to work together to preserve peace and stability, and keep Asean open and inclusive.

Rather than have the region dominated by any single power, it had to be a place where all major powers were engaged and invested.

As Singapore's first foreign minister once quipped: "If Asean does not hang together, we will hang separately".

Fifth largest economy

PM Wong also focused on the potential that the combined weight of the Asean members had, rather than their limited individual scale.

Asean's 700 million people would form the fifth-largest economy in the world and ie projected to be the fourth-largest by 2030.

“In particular, the next decade will be critical," PM Wong said.

PM Wong said that “continued peace, stability and growth in Asean will transform our entire region and this will translate to better jobs, opportunities and living standards for all our peoples.”

This was possible through closer integration between Asean countries, exemplified by a supply chain that linked Filipino cotton spun in Thai factories, to be dyed and sewn in Vietnam, for global export.

Asean must be made into a “more seamless and competitive single market”, able to attract businesses and investments that are “looking for alternatives in a more fragmented global economy.”

Bolder reforms

However, that would require bolder reforms, such as reducing trade and investment barriers to enable companies to operate more easily across borders.

PM Wong also highlighted the need for the Asean digital economy agreement, which would further integrate real-time payment systems, as has already been done between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

It would also mean enhancing physical infrastructure, including rail and power grid connectivity, to go beyond internal integration.

Asean also had to “deepen its partnerships” globally, upgrading its seven Free Trade Agreements and looking to add to them, with the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union.

The current Asean Chair, Malaysia, has been pushing for such reforms with Singapore’s full support, and PM Wong expects the momentum to continue with the Philippines as ASEAN Chair in 2026 and Singapore in 2027.

Singapore 2027

Singapore’s term as Asean Chair would coincide with the 60th anniversary of Asean, and Singapore would work closely with Asean partners and global friends to keep Asean “strong, effective, and relevant for the future.”

PM Wong urged Singaporeans to “be a part of this journey” by learning more about the region, understanding Singapore’s neighbours and building connections.

“Because Asean’s future is our future and everyone has a role to play.”

Top image via Lawrence Wong/Facebook