Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on May 7 held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Singapore and Laos to strengthen strategic cooperation and regional stability, on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines.
As reported by Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama, the discusssion between PM Anwar and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong focused on expediting the implementation of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and ensuring that the RTS Link project becomes operational by the end of this year.
The two leaders also talked about expanding cooperation in renewable energy and the ASEAN Power Grid, as well as deepening collaboration in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The meeting also mentioned addressing border and territorial issues, as well as airspace management, in a spirit of mutual respect.
Earlier, PM Anwar also met with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, expressing Malaysia’s commitment to expanding cooperation in trade, investment, renewable energy, higher education, defence, telecommunications and regional connectivity.
Malaysia also voiced support for efforts to enhance ASEAN’s economic and logistics integration, including through the ASEAN Express rail network connecting Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and China, as well as strengthening regional energy cooperation through the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP)./.
ASEAN power grid among top priorities at 48th ASEAN Summit
The initiative is among the bloc’s “priority economic deliverables” that are timely, forward-looking and strategic for the region, according to a Philippine official.