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SINGAPORE: To build resilience to future economic shocks, countries in the region must have common criteria for travel and trade restrictions, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday (April 14).
“It would be helpful for ASEAN to have a common set of criteria or guidelines on when to impose travel or trade restrictions, and when and how we can relax them and with what appropriate safeguards,” he said at a special virtual ASEAN summit on COVID-19.
“Each of us has our own internal considerations, but clear guidelines would help us adopt a balanced and rational approach that takes into account economic and health considerations.”
The ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies should study this issue, he added.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks to the region’s leaders through a video conference during an ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 on April 14, 2020. (Photo: MCI)
Lee and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan joined the summit via video conference Tuesday morning. The summit convened by Vietnam, ASEAN President for 2020, was chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Lee said the crisis “will fundamentally change globalization,” as he predicted controls on the movement of people across borders and that governments will intervene to prevent overdependence on food, medical products and other essential goods from other countries.
Therefore, ASEAN countries should do everything possible to build cooperation and trust among themselves, he said.
“We must resist the temptation to turn inward and away from each other.”
The 10 ASEAN countries have reported at least 20,000 cases of COVID-19 in total, but the number is likely to be higher given the lack of testing capacity in some areas. Countries have imposed measures to restrict the movement of residents, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
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Mr. Lee emphasized that ASEAN countries must maintain trade with each other and persuade their partners to keep flowing. Malaysia and Singapore have maintained the flow of goods, although Malaysia has extended its movement control order until April 28, and Singapore is in circuit breaker mode until May 4.
“Many of us also export agricultural goods and products abroad. Therefore, closing our borders entirely would only deprive us of all the goods and products that we can produce together, damaging our economies and worsening unemployment,” he said.
He proposed that the regional bloc should still aspire to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Association (RCEP) this year and should also continue to seek the General Air Transport Agreement with the European Union.
“Coping with immediate crises, without losing sight of longer-term goals, is the best way to allow our economies to survive this crisis and recover after COVID-19 passes,” he said.
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At the summit, leaders of ASEAN nations shared information about their states’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed ways in which ASEAN could strengthen cooperation at COVID-19, the Ministry of Communications said. Singapore information in a press release.
Regional leaders in a videoconference during an ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 on April 14, 2020. (Photo: MCI)
They also emphasized the importance of keeping trade routes open and preserving connectivity in the supply chain, especially for essential goods such as medical supplies and food.
The leaders also adopted a joint statement from the ASEAN Special Summit on the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mr. Lee said it was essential for ASEAN to organize a united response, due to how connected and interdependent countries are.
Four of the world’s 10 busiest air routes are among ASEAN member states and it has the world’s busiest land crossing: the Causeway between Johor Bahru and Singapore.
“None of us in ASEAN can be truly safe unless the entire region is safe,” he said.
By sharing information and staying up-to-date on situations in each member state, countries can learn from each other and cooperate on issues such as the repatriation of citizens from other countries in their country, he added.
