Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) yesterday called for greater integration between Southeast Asian nations at a time when multilateralism is under threat.
His remarks came at a business summit on the sidelines of meetings this week between the 10-member ASEAN and external partners, including the US and China, which are in a dispute over trade.
“ASEAN has great potential, but fully realizing it depends on whether we choose to become more integrated and work resolutely towards this goal in a world where multilateralism is fraying under political pressures,” Lee said at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.
Photo: Reuters
Lee has previously said that the US-China trade dispute could have a “big, negative impact” on Singapore, and the city-state’s central bank has said it could soon drag on growth.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence said that US President Donald Trump’s absence at the summits was not a snub.
Pence arrived in Tokyo yesterday, with his trip to take him to Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
He faces the challenge of reassuring allies about US policy toward Asia.
The US’ commitment to the Indo-Pacific region “has never been stronger,” Pence told reporters in Alaska on Sunday night en route to Tokyo.
Trump’s decision to skip the event is “not in the least” a snub, Pence said, adding that the president is “where the American people would want him” in Paris for World War I commemorations.
Trump became the first US president not to attend an ASEAN summit since 2013, when then-US president Barack Obama canceled his visit to deal with a US government shutdown.
Pence has the president’s full backing and plans to announce several new initiatives during his week-long trip, a senior US administration official said.
They include bilateral, trilateral and possibly larger initiatives that cover the digital economy, energy and infrastructure, said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
As the top representative from the world’s largest economy, Pence is to have an audience with several world leaders interested in hearing more about US policy.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a