A Singaporean minister has said that harmonising legal standards and strengthening legal frameworks are important components of ASEAN Integration.

Singaporean Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam told a conference on regional law on July 4 that the regional group must continue making integration and community-building efforts in order to strengthen its competitiveness and resilience.

According to him, ASEAN senior law officials have been working on various legal integration initiatives, including harmonising the laws of various member states on arbitration and the international sale of goods.

These efforts are important for ASEAN as the harminisation of legal rules that can help remove uncertainty, reduce cost, generate greater business confidence, and ultimately advance ASEAN community-building goals, Shanmugam said.

He added that a stronger, united ASEAN will remain influential as it serves as a neutral platform for major powers to engage the region and each other in constructive ways.

The Singaporean minister lauded China for its commitment to supporting platforms that will promote more physical integration and regional infrastructure development, working with ASEAN on maritime cooperation, funding new projects and upgrading the China-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA).-VNA