Roundtable stresses ASEAN’s importance to shaping rules-based global order

The 38th ASEAN Roundtable takes place in in Singapore on October 3. (Photo: ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute)

Singapore (VNA) – As the global order is facing the risk of fragmentation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should play a greater role in establishing a rules-based global order, experts said at the 38th ASEAN Roundtable held in Singapore on October 3.

The annual event, held by the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, was attended by over 200 diplomats and leading researchers in the region and the world. It discussed changes in the regional and international geopolitical environments, impacts on the current world order and ASEAN, and solutions for the bloc.

In his opening remarks, Choi Shing Kwok, Director of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, said the roundtable was a forum for discussing ASEAN’s role in shaping the future of Southeast Asia and orienting the global order that is at risk of fragmentation.

The geopolitical situation is changing, with powerful countries implementing initiatives and their own approaches to the region such as the Global Security Initiative of China or different Indo-Pacific strategies, all of which affect the bloc’s centrality in the regional architecture, he noted.

Delivering his introductory speech, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn underlined that the world is being fragmented, and this is not the first time.

ASEAN is now much bigger than it was at the time of its establishment, he noted, adding that amid the current complex geopolitical context, ASEAN now more than ever needs to stay united, affirm and maintain its role and importance in shaping a world order that helps secure peace, stability, and prosperity for the region.

Themed “ASEAN in a Fragmented Global Order”, the roundtable featured sessions on forces of fragmentation, regional economic integration, the management of potential regional flashpoints, and ASEAN in the age of multipolarity.

The event also looked into the US’s and China’s policies towards the region, recommendations for ASEAN, and potential flashpoints in the region.

Participants shared the view that the global order is under threat of fragmentation due to the rise of protectionism, nationalism, and the intensifying US - China rivalry. Globalisation gains over the last three decades are now at risk of economic decoupling, which can be felt in the form of supply chain dislocations and export bans, among others. In the face of these challenges, ASEAN has maintained its central role as the primary forum for dialogue and cooperation in Southeast Asia./.

VNA