Duterte off to Singapore for Asean meet

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte will be attending this week the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Singapore that would craft a framework to address economic and development concerns of the 10 member-countries.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West said the President is attending the summit from Nov. 13 to 15 at the invitation of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Singapore is the current chair of ASEAN.

“The leaders will also hold the second summit on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP to look into the progress in the negotiations of this very
 important document,” West said at a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang.

According to West, the ASEAN summit will be an opportunity for leaders to see the progress of the implementation of the region’s plans and bring the member-countries closer to the realization of rules-based and people-oriented programs.

Among the issues that may be discussed by the leaders are the Korean peninsula, the South China Sea, the global economy and the challenges to economic integration and to a rules-based multilateral trade system.

The leaders will also discuss transnational and transboundary issues, such as terrorism, violent extremism, trafficking in persons, illicit drugs, climate change and disaster management.

“We anticipate a number of outcome documents to be adopted, issued and noted by the leaders at the ASEAN summit and in the Plus One summits, the ASEAN Plus Three as well as the East Asia Summit,” West said.

The related summits to be held in Singapore, on the other hand, will be an opportunity for the President and other ASEAN leaders to look into the progress of the region’s relations with the dialogue partners and the deepening cooperation with them on a number of priority areas.

West referred to infrastructure development; economic cooperation; development of micro, small and medium enterprises; connectivity; non-traditional security issues like countering terrorism and violent extremism; illicit drugs and trafficking in persons.

Other areas of cooperation include women and youth; disaster management; climate change and people-to-people exchanges.

Under Singapore’s chairmanship theme of a “Resilient and Innovative ASEAN,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the member-states would take a look at developments in one of Singapore’s flagship initiatives, namely the ASEAN Smart Cities Network. 

“This is an initiative that hopes to move forward city development, sustainable urbanization and connectivity among the cities of ASEAN,” she said.

The DFA has yet to provide details on pull-aside meetings between Duterte and other leaders, but there are about four to five appointments being threshed out with counterparts.