Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing yesterday called on Asean to push ahead with open regionalism and integration.
He said all 10 members of the grouping needed to come together to make a strong statement for a free, open, rules-based and interdependent system.
In a keynote speech at The Business Times' Leaders Forum at the Shangri-La Hotel, he said Asean was at an inflexion point, as the open and rules-based multilateral trading system, regional integration and economic cooperation were coming under mounting pressure.
He warned that trade frictions between major economic players would lead to spillover effects in the region.
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