Addressing the ASEAN Summit retreat in Manila, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong proposed expanding the existing Singapore-Indonesia joint taskforce to coordinate corporate intelligence across the entire region. The plan also leverages the Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution to ensure errant firms face consequences regardless of where they operate. Beyond environmental concerns, Singapore is preparing to lead the ASEAN Observer Team to help peacefully resolve border frictions between Thailand and Cambodia.
Key points
A shared regional platform would deter forest burning by coordinating information on resp…: A shared regional platform would deter forest burning by coordinating information on responsible corporations across member states.
ASEAN nations must peacefully navigate internal disputes to preserve regional solidarity…: ASEAN nations must peacefully navigate internal disputes to preserve regional solidarity before Singapore assumes next year's chairmanship.
Regional leaders maintain a collective desire for Myanmar to eventually resume political-…: Regional leaders maintain a collective desire for Myanmar to eventually resume political-level engagement within the bloc.
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MANILA – Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Nov 15 called on ASEAN to set up a regional platform to coordinate and share information on companies behind fires that cause transboundary haze.
Singapore and Indonesia have already set up a joint taskforce that provides such a platform which can be expanded across the region, he added. There is also already a mechanism for cooperation in the Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution, he said.
PM Wong was speaking during the retreat session of the ASEAN Summit in Manila, where leaders shared their views on regional issues candidly during an informal meeting.
“I recall in May, we had a very productive and candid sharing of views, so I would like to continue in that spirit today,” he said, before proceeding to talk about the potential flash points for the region, including transboundary haze, Thailand-Cambodia border tensions and Myanmar.
Even as ASEAN contends with geopolitical tensions and external disruptions in an increasingly fractured world, internal tensions have continued to test the cohesion and consensus that underpins the grouping’s centrality.
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