Singapore welcomes US assurance that AUKUS supports ASEAN centrality: PM

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Singapore (VNA) - Singapore welcomes the US's assurance that its recent trilateral defence pact with Australia and the United Kingdom (AUKUS) will support ASEAN centrality and contribute to regional peace and stability, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the virtual ASEAN-US Summit on October 26.

He also welcomed the US's announcement of 102 million USD in new initiatives to expand its partnership with ASEAN, with the funds going into health, climate, economic and education programmes.

PM Lee noted that the US was ASEAN’s largest source of foreign direct investment last year, with investments amounting to nearly 35 billion USD.

The US has also delivered over 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the region, contributed 500,000 USD to an ASEAN pandemic response fund, and established the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's South-east Asia regional office in Hanoi.

He suggested ASEAN and the US expand partnership to non-traditional domains, including digital infrastructure, cyber security and climate change.

With the bloc’s digital economy projected to reach 200 billion USD by 2025, the time is ripe for a technological revolution, with promising opportunities for both US and regional companies to work together to ride the wave, Lee stressed./.

VNA