Singapore hopes Malaysia will advance ASEAN's sustainability agenda under Chairmanship

SINGAPORE: Singapore hopes Malaysia will advance the region's sustainability agenda under its ASEAN Chairmanship this year, said its Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

He said this could be achieved by putting in place the necessary infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and financial support for the renewable energy transition.

"Sustainability is a key priority for ASEAN as Southeast Asia is highly vulnerable to climate change, evident in disasters like Typhoon Yagi in 2024.

"We will work together towards the establishment of the ASEAN Power Grid, a cornerstone for a sustainable future," he told Bernama in a written interview in conjunction with the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) Retreat.

Expressing Singapore's full confidence and commitment towards Malaysia's Chairmanship, Balakrishnan said the country also looks forward to the substantial conclusion of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

He said that this would accelerate digital transformation within ASEAN and create a more integrated digital economy across the region.

DEFA will also empower businesses and attract global investments, potentially doubling ASEAN's digital economy to US$2 trillion by 2030, he noted.

The minister said Singapore's key priority agenda this year is to work with Malaysia to deliver a substantive 20th East Asia Summit (EAS), including through the implementation of projects under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

He said that in an increasingly contested global context, ASEAN must step up its engagement with key external powers, especially through the EAS, which was first convened in Kuala Lumpur in 2005.

"Two decades later, the world has changed considerably. We support Malaysia's efforts to ensure that the EAS remains an effective tool to ensure peace and stability in the region," he said.

Balakrishnan noted that ASEAN in 2025 faces three key challenges - global geopolitical and economic uncertainty, the climate crisis, and the opportunities and challenges of new technologies including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and renewable energy.

At the upcoming AMM Retreat this weekend, Balakrishnan said Singapore will prioritise the development of ASEAN's green and digital economies.

"We will also intensify efforts to reduce development gaps between Member States so that all nations in ASEAN can contribute to, and benefit from, the region's growth and prosperity," he said, adding that the ASEAN Community Vision (ACV) 2045 provides the roadmap to achieve these objectives.

Balakrishnan said for almost six decades, ASEAN has fostered regional stability, and built a united community to generate growth and prosperity for its people.

He said this commitment to inclusivity is the glue that has made ASEAN integration possible, despite the region's diversity of cultures, languages, and political systems.

The AMM Retreat will be held from Jan 18-19 in Langkawi, an island known for its natural landscape and beaches in Malaysia's northern state of Kedah.

It marks the first meeting among the ASEAN Foreign Ministers under Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025.

-- BERNAMA

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