ASEAN Plus Three must strengthen its collective resilience to better confront future crises, while deepening trade, investment, and connectivity across the region, said Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Balakrishnan shared that he had conveyed this message during the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, involving China, Japan, and South Korea.
“ASEAN’s ability to convene a diverse set of external partners is now more vital than ever and reflects our role as a trusted platform for open and meaningful dialogue in the region,” he said.
Balakrishnan is in Kuala Lumpur this week for the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related engagements, held from 8 to 11 July.
Welcoming new faces to the ministerial-level discussions, he expressed his pleasure at meeting several newly appointed foreign ministers attending the AMM for the first time.
“I was pleased to welcome the new Foreign Ministers to the AMM, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand, and Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya,” he said.
Together with Iwaya, Balakrishnan co-chaired the ASEAN–Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and expressed optimism about enhancing longstanding ties.
“Singapore looks forward to deepening this longstanding cooperation, especially in the digital and green economic sectors,” he added. - July 11, 2025
