The Straits Times
17 November 2017
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Moon Jae In Makes Good Start in Bid to Focus on ASEAN
Moon Jae In Makes Good Start in Bid to Focus on ASEAN
After months of promising to upgrade ties with South-east Asia, South Korean President Moon Jae In has personally delivered the message to the region in a week-long, three-country tour that showed he meant business.
Throughout his visit to Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, Mr Moon repeatedly emphasised his vision to “dramatically strengthen” cooperation with ASEAN with a strong focus on three Ps – people-centred exchanges, peaceful co-existence and joint prosperity.
Mr Shawn Ho, associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told The Straits Times that Mr Moon had made a “very good move” to head to ASEAN’s biggest economy, Indonesia, first.
He also noted that the two countries’ leaders issued a long and extensive joint statement – 1,710 words to be exact – that detailed the future of their collaboration across various sectors, from defence and infrastructure development to tourism and petrochemicals.
Mr Ho added: “We’ll have to see how it will be implemented and when they will do it, but it’s a good sign they are keen to do so many things going forward.”
IDSS / Online / Print
Last updated on 17/11/2017
