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SINGAPORE – Asean has to mount a united response to the coronavirus pandemic as the region is deeply connected and interdependent, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday (April 14).
He suggested that countries can work together by sharing information, collaborating to keep trade routes and supply lines open, and building resilience to face future economic shocks.
At the same time, Asean should not lose sight of the longer-term goals, which are key to allowing economies to survive and recover once the storm has passed, said Prime Minister Lee, who spoke at a Special Summit on Clean it up on Covid-19 via video conference.
“None of us at Asean can be truly safe unless the entire region is safe,” he said, describing the pandemic as “the most serious public health crisis facing humanity in this century.”
The summit was convened by Vietnam, this year’s ASEAN president. It was chaired by the Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
During the summit, countries discussed the need to organize an urgent response to address the public health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
They also shared information on the responses of their individual states and discussed ways in which Asean can strengthen cooperation to face the crisis.
In his speech, Prime Minister Lee stressed the importance of sharing information, given that what works in one country may be relevant to another.
“Therefore, we should keep ourselves informed about the situation in our own countries and cooperate with each other on matters that must be addressed together, for example, the repatriation of citizens from other countries at home,” he said.
The technology can also be used to deal with the pandemic, Prime Minister Lee added.
He highlighted Singapore’s efforts to use channels like WhatsApp to disseminate information, its work on the TraceTogether app and its use of technology to monitor compliance with quarantine orders.
Asean’s Smart Cities Network can be a platform to share these best practices and help cities better prepare for future public health emergencies, he said.
Prime Minister Lee also noted that none of the ASEAN states is completely self-sufficient on essential items like medical supplies and food. In addition, many export products and agricultural products abroad.
“Completely closing our borders would only deprive us of all the goods and products we can produce together, damaging our economies and worsening unemployment.”
Even as the global trade network begins to fracture under stress, Prime Minister Lee called on ASEAN countries to come together to keep trade with each other and persuade other trading partners to keep flowing.
For example, the Singapore-Malaysia Special Working Committee on Covid-19 has maintained the flow of goods between the two countries, despite restrictions on the movement of people, he said.
He also called for the adoption of clear guidelines across ASEAN to help the region adopt “a balanced and rational approach that takes into account health and economic considerations” when it comes to such crises.
“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.
In rounding off his speech, Prime Minister Lee noted that the crisis will fundamentally change globalization.
“There will be controls on the movement of people across borders. Governments will intervene to prevent overdependence on food, medical products and other essential goods from other countries,” he said. “And everywhere, I am afraid it will diminish confidence that international standards will be upheld and respected in a crisis.”
Even when Asean considers these issues, member states must do everything possible to build cooperation and trust between them, he said.
Leaders have a responsibility to rebuild internal trust in the value of cooperation and maintain an open approach to partners both regionally and globally.
“We should build on the relationships and institutions that Asean has created for half a century. We must resist the temptation to turn inward and away from each other,” he added.
Prime Minister Lee said Asean must still aspire to sign the Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership Agreement this year, and also continue to pursue the Comprehensive 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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