Looking Ahead to 2018: ASEAN Chairmanship Poses a Stern Test for Singapore

TODAY

31 January 2017

On Monday (Jan 1), Singapore takes take over the rotating chairmanship of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Ambassador-at-Large Ong Keng Yong, who is also the executive deputy chairman of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), told TODAY that one key challenge for Singapore is to manage intra-ASEAN dynamics to ensure the grouping stays united and cohesive to substantiate its role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

On the Rohingya issue, ASEAN has been criticised for being toothless on the situation and as ASEAN chair, Singapore can expect to be come under some international pressure. But it also has to consider ASEAN’s long-standing principle of non-interference in the domestic politics of member states.The Republic has traditionally upheld this principle and this is unlikely to change in 2018, said Mr David Han, a senior analyst with RSIS.

Associate Professor Keawkamol Pitakdumrongkit, the deputy head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at RSIS said that for an e-commerce drive to succeed in the region, the member states will have to roll out and implement a competition policy at the national level so that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can thrive alongside the big firms.

Click here to view the full article

Categories:

RSIS / IDSS / CMS / Online