PUBLISHED ONMay 08, 2026 5:25 AMBYSean LerFaced with a different world — where there will be more disruptions and shocks, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) must do more to strengthen its collective resilience, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (May 8).
He was speaking at the plenary session of the 48th Asean Summit being held in Cebu, Philippines.
In 2024, the 11-member bloc, which has a combined population of about 684 million, achieved a total trade in goods and services value of about US$5.1 trillion (S$6.51 trillion).
But like the rest of its Asian neighbours, Asean member states are also among the hardest hit amid the Middle East crisis due to their high dependence on energy and other critical supplies from the Gulf.
Then, there is also the issue of trade disruptions arising from the US' Liberation Day tariffs, which PM Wong noted has "not completely gone away".
"The realities of the global economy going forward are that there will be more disruptions, more shocks, more volatility. That will be the new normal in our economic landscape."
He urged fellow Asean leaders to do more to strengthen the bloc's collective resilience.
Noting that Asean is the world's fourth-largest economy, accounting for 7 per cent of global trade, PM Wong called for the swift ratification of the upgraded Asean Trade in Goods Agreement, which was signed in October 2025.
The upgraded agreement includes crisis-related provisions and commitments on trade in essential goods, market access and trade facilitation, and supply chain connectivity.
Noting that the region accounts for 10 per cent of global agricultural exports, PM Wong said Asean should strengthen supply chains, especially for critical goods such as food.
He also called for Asean member states to quickly ratify the Asean Petroleum Security Agreement, saying this would give the region more tools to respond to energy crises.
Turning to future energy resilience, PM Wong also called for the accelerated realisation of the Asean Power Grid, a plan which allows Asean countries to trade surplus electricity and share reserve capacities.
This will allow the region to build stronger resilience against future supply disruptions and external shock, while being sustainable, he said.
Singapore also welcomed the adoption of the Cebu Protocol, the first amendment to the Asean Charter, to reflect Timor-Leste's membership.
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Wong met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday. He also met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to review key bilateral issues and discussed ways to strengthen Singapore-Malaysia ties.
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