Singapore (VNA) – Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on September 11 called on Asia to position itself as a region that can offer stability, openness, and inclusiveness to unlock its growth potential in a fragmented world.
In a keynote speech at the Caixin Asia New Vision Forum 2025 in Singapore, Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, outlined three areas for Asia to offer "a differentiated value proposition" to the world.
With clashes arising from time to time worldwide, Gan said Asia should continue to keep dialogue channels open, exercise restraint when conflicts emerge, and strengthen regional mechanisms that can help manage differences.
He added that Asia should continue to advance regionalism and economic integration, citing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which aims to eliminate tariff barriers and offers businesses common and streamlined rules of origin for trade within the region, as a good example.
Gan also said Asia can present itself as a model for inclusive and progressive cooperation, noting the different paces of low-carbon transition and digital economy development among countries.
He warned that the world faces "heightened uncertainty", with strategic rivalries sharpening, protectionism deepening, and global commons — from trade to climate cooperation — under stress. Amid this turbulence, Asia has an opportunity to stand out, he stated./.
