Wednesday, August 8, 2007
SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on the 10-member Asean to work hard for closer Asean integration, saying that the grouping must integrate to survive.
"We simply do not have a choice — Asean must integrate to survive. This may be a stark and blunt way to put it, but it is the cold reality," Lee said in his speech at the Asean Lecture held in conjunction with Asean's 40th anniversary.
He said that the rise of China and India had transformed the strategic landscape and created new dynamics within Asia.
"Companies and investors around the world are paying attention to what is happening in Asia, but they are focusing their energies on these two emerging giants... to stay in the game, Asean must take decisive action.
"We must become a strong and effective grouping, able to partner China and India effectively," he said.
Many investors today, said Lee, see Asean as 10 isolated and scattered national economies which are too small to be worth paying attention to.
"If Asean's integration stagnates while the rest of Asia forges ahead, we will be left behind and become irrelevant."
To keep the Asean integration on track, he said, the pace of Asean integration should not be set by its slowest members.
"The more developed Asean members can and should take the lead in setting the pace of integration for the rest to follow. One way is for Asean countries, which are ready, to move ahead first either bilaterally or as a smaller sub-group. Others can join in later when they are ready," he said.
Integration was also crucial so that the region would be favourably positioned as the basis of the new regional architecture, said Lee. "At the moment, Asean enjoys good relations with all the major powers. It also provides a neutral core around which to develop the regional architecture but the region cannot take it for granted that the favourable state of affairs will persist.
"If Asean is disunited or ineffective, we will lose the privileged position of being courted by various players. Credibility begins from within. Asean needs to show that it is able to look beyond narrow short-term interests in the pursuit of broader strategic goals," he said.
Towards this end, Lee said, Singapore would focus on four areas to move Asean forward during the island state's chairmanship of the regional grouping.
They are — to focus on strengthening Asean internally; to deepen the region's community building efforts; to deepen Asean's engagement of external powers both regionally and outside the region.Bernama
"We simply do not have a choice — Asean must integrate to survive. This may be a stark and blunt way to put it, but it is the cold reality," Lee said in his speech at the Asean Lecture held in conjunction with Asean's 40th anniversary.
He said that the rise of China and India had transformed the strategic landscape and created new dynamics within Asia.
"Companies and investors around the world are paying attention to what is happening in Asia, but they are focusing their energies on these two emerging giants... to stay in the game, Asean must take decisive action.
"We must become a strong and effective grouping, able to partner China and India effectively," he said.
Many investors today, said Lee, see Asean as 10 isolated and scattered national economies which are too small to be worth paying attention to.
"If Asean's integration stagnates while the rest of Asia forges ahead, we will be left behind and become irrelevant."
To keep the Asean integration on track, he said, the pace of Asean integration should not be set by its slowest members.
"The more developed Asean members can and should take the lead in setting the pace of integration for the rest to follow. One way is for Asean countries, which are ready, to move ahead first either bilaterally or as a smaller sub-group. Others can join in later when they are ready," he said.
Integration was also crucial so that the region would be favourably positioned as the basis of the new regional architecture, said Lee. "At the moment, Asean enjoys good relations with all the major powers. It also provides a neutral core around which to develop the regional architecture but the region cannot take it for granted that the favourable state of affairs will persist.
"If Asean is disunited or ineffective, we will lose the privileged position of being courted by various players. Credibility begins from within. Asean needs to show that it is able to look beyond narrow short-term interests in the pursuit of broader strategic goals," he said.
Towards this end, Lee said, Singapore would focus on four areas to move Asean forward during the island state's chairmanship of the regional grouping.
They are — to focus on strengthening Asean internally; to deepen the region's community building efforts; to deepen Asean's engagement of external powers both regionally and outside the region.Bernama