Key Priorities for ASEAN's Relations with US

1 Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what does Singapore consider the key priorities for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in its relations with the United States (US) under the new Trump administration, bearing in mind the US President's absence from ASEAN summits during his first term as President; and (b) what messages will Singapore convey to its US counterparts during the ASEAN country dialogues and at the East Asia Summit under the chairmanship of Malaysia.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Mr Speaker, the short answer to Mr Neil Parekh's question is economics – trade, investment, energy.

The United States (US) remains a critical partner for Singapore and for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The US' presence in our region has in fact underpinned our peace, stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia for many decades. The US is, by a significant margin, the largest foreign investor in ASEAN. And the US is also ASEAN's second largest trading partner.

The US has been an active supporter of ASEAN and this includes strengthening collaboration in new growth areas, for instance artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and energy transition.

The omni-directional engagement on the part of ASEAN towards the US, to China, to the EU, to India, to Australia and indeed all the middle powers, and our emerging links with Africa and South America, is an essential element of ASEAN's vision for an open, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture in our region. We believe this is the way to secure peace and prosperity, and also based on the appreciation of the fact that in contrast to many parts of the world, Southeast Asia remains at peace and has good prospects for significant growth in the decades to come.

In this respect, the US' commitment to the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which they have expressed on previous occasions, is reaffirmation of this point.

We will keep emphasising the mutually beneficial nature of ASEAN's interactions and engagement with the US. This engagement will continue to contribute in fact for mutual benefit of both ASEAN and America, and create an area in this part of the world which is safer, stronger and more prosperous.

It is worth reminding this House that in fact if you add, cumulatively, all the economies of the members of ASEAN, we already constitute the world's fifth largest economy and we expect to be on track to become the fourth largest economy by 2030. The trade and investments from the US into our region support hundreds and thousands of jobs in Southeast Asia but similarly, it also supports over 600,000 jobs in America itself. So, the point here is that this is a mutually beneficial relationship.

ASEAN's rapidly developing economies present significant opportunities for American companies including areas like critical minerals, energy, manufacturing, technology, including digital and AI.

Another point worth emphasising is that one-third of global trade passes through the critical maritime shipping lanes in Southeast Asia, including the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and beyond that, into the South China Sea. The US' presence in the region, both economically and therefore also having interests to protect from a defence perspective, has been crucial to maintaining stability and opportunities in our part of the world. From an ASEAN perspective, the primacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), which sets out maritime entitlements, and avenues for peaceful resolutions of disputes, and sets out as a right freedom of navigation and overflight, is crucial for ASEAN, both from a stability point of view as well as economic prospects for the future.

So, Mr Speaker, we will continue to work with our partners in ASEAN to seek opportunities for high-level engagement with the new US administration on this basis.

Mr Speaker: Mr Neil Parekh.

Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant (Nominated Member): I thank the Minister for the comprehensive response as well as the comprehensive discussions during the Committee of Supply with all the other political officeholders.

My question is related to Ukraine. Does the Minister and envisage a role for ASEAN or Singapore in the peace negotiations that hopefully will get underway very soon, similar, to the way we made an effort to bring the US and North Korea together a few years ago?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The short answer is no. There are far more proximate partners and stakeholders in the dispute, in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, than Southeast Asia. So, the short answer is no.

Having said that, let me give a Southeast Asian perspective. If you look at the votes of the 10 ASEAN member states, you will find that all of us, in our votes and in our explanation of votes at the UN, have emphasised the importance of the UN Charter and the principles of sovereign equality, political independence and territorial integrity.

ASEAN, perhaps also because of our past experience in the Cold War, has absolutely no intention of allowing ourselves to be a future arena for proxy wars and we will certainly have no intention to allow ourselves to be caught in the strategic contestations between superpowers in the future.

So, bear in mind ASEAN's history. Bear in mind, ASEAN's prospects for the future. Bear in mind, our adherence to international law in the UN Charter. And just as importantly, bear in mind, our prospects for the future.

And that is why I began my answer to you just now that the short answer is no. And if I may add, I had I had an introductory telephone conversation with the Secretary of State Mr Marco Rubio last night. Both of us emphasised economics – so trade, investments, energy.