Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday introduced “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability” as the official theme for the ASEAN chairmanship next year.

Gen Prayut made the announcement at the handover ceremony after the conclusion of the 33rd ASEAN Summit and related summits held in Singapore, attended by leaders from 18 countries who are also members of the East Asia Summit (EAS) — which includes 10 ASEAN members, and its dialogue partners, Russia and the United States.

Sharing her perspective on Thailand’s role as ASEAN chair, Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit, deputy head and assistant professor at the RSIS’ Centre for Multilateralism Studies, said she expects Thailand to play a role in managing the South China Sea issue to maintain peace and stability in the region, and in ensuring that the Indo-Pacific policies pushed forward by several nations have synergies with ASEAN agendas including AEC 2025.