What did they WHAT DID From achieve?THEY ACHIEVE? Quite a bit. Key highlights last week were: Can you sing 33rd Asean Summit Lyrics for “The ASEAN Way” Pledge to seal RCEP in 2019 in numbers Asean nations, Australia, China, the Asean Anthem? India, Japan, South Korea and New Raise our ag high, sky high Zealand have been negotiating the • Local community choir The Vocal • This, however, did not faze Thai 1 Regional Comprehensive Economic Consort charmed audiences at the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Embrace the pride in our heart Partnership (RCEP) since 2013. This summit’s opening ceremony last and Indonesian President Joko year, they concluded ve more Tuesday with a rousing rendition of Widodo, who were spotted Asean we are bonded as one chapters of the pact, bringing the the Asean Anthem. mouthing the words to the lyrics Looking out to the world. trade talks number of sealed chapters to While the Asean ag has since with relative gusto. • seven (out of 18). They also pledged become a recognisable symbol of • The song made its debut at the For peace, our goal from the very start to reach a deal next year. the region, not many would know 2009 Asean Summit in Hua Hin, And prosperity to last. to Trudeau’s the lyrics to the anthem, titled The Thailand, about a year after a panel Smart Cities Asean Way. of judges unanimously voted it as We dare to dream, we care to share. Leaders adopted a blueprint for the winner of a regional cities in Asean to work with one songwriting competition. Together for Asean 6• Number of meals the 10 Asean 2 another and outside partners to we dare to dream, leaders shared. tap digital technology to develop • Last Tuesday, a working dinner. we care to share for it’s the way of Asean. economic opportunities, • Last Wednesday, an informal breakfast infrastructure and a sustainable summit with Australian PM Scott Morrison; living environment for their people. a working lunch that included Canadian PM 26 cities are in the pioneer batch of Justin Trudeau, Chilean President Sebastian the Asean Smart Cities Network Pinera and International Monetary Fund socksSingapore saw a rush of diplomatic activity last (ASCN). They include all 10 capitals managing director Christine Lagarde; week as it hosted the 33rd Asean Summit. as well as cities like Da Nang, Luang and a gala dinner. Prabang, Makassar, and Mandalay. The Sunday Times recaps the highlights. • Last Thursday, an informal breakfast Movement on a COC Asean veterans in the spotlight summit with Indian PM Narendra Modi; and an East Asia Summit lunch retreat. Asean countries and China have been discussing a code of conduct What were the (COC) to build trust and prevent 3 miscalculations in disputed waters, WHAT WERE THE and recently agreed on a single meetings about? draft negotiating text. Last week, MEETINGS ABOUT? they agreed to complete a rst • The Asean chairmanship is rotated reading of the draft text by next among all 10 members and each chairman year, and work towards concluding hosts two summits a year. The rst, usually a code early. held mid-year, takes stock of regional 6,650 cooperation efforts. AHA Centre to help Rohingya • Number of Home Team • The second, towards the year-end (like The exodus of over 700,000 ofcers mobilised for last week’s) also involves key partners Rohingya to Bangladesh from the event. discussing wider issues and strengthening Myanmar’s Rakhine State has • They were assisted ties with Asean. 4 created Asean’s largest by the Singapore • It culminates in the East Asia Summit, humanitarian crisis in years. Armed Forces and which groups all 10 members as well as Myanmar has invited the Asean technology – like Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Coordinating Centre for Who has attended the most Asean October last year. adding that “some quarters are The Rohingya issue has sparked the Police New Zealand, Russia and the United States. Humanitarian Assistance on summits? The answer is not But senior to him in age is making a big fuss of the President concern among several members, patrol robot. disaster management (AHA Centre) Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Philippine President Rodrigo skipping a few meetings”. and all eyes were on how Dr to send a needs assessment team Mohamad (above), though at 93, he Duterte (third from left), 73, whose “We assure the nation that his Mahathir, who was seated next to to facilitate the repatriation is denitely the oldest leader at absence from several meetings aforementioned absence has Ms Suu Kyi — a former political What happens process. this year’s summit. made headlines last week. nothing to do with his physical prisoner — at meetings, would Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (second His no-shows last Wednesday health and well-being, which have broach the issue with her. next? Asean centrality from left) of Brunei, has attended prompted a statement from his been the subject of speculation,” he He told The Sunday Times: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Asean’s partners have proposed Asean meetings for 34 years, more ofce explaining that he had only added. “People who had been under • Thailand takes over as the next Asean various concepts of a free and open than a decade longer than Tun Dr had three hours of sleep the night Myanmar State Counsellor Aung detention should understand the chair and has pledged to work on Indo-Pacic (FOIP). Asean leaders Mahathir. before. San Suu Kyi (right), also 73 and a sufferings of people who are enhancing connectivity across the region 5 stressed the need to support The 72-year-old Sultan, who is “He took power naps to catch few months younger than Mr oppressed.” and focus on sustainable development. Asean unity and centrality, be clear also Prime Minister of Brunei, (up) on sleep,” presidential Duterte, made the headlines for • Singapore will also continue to help about economic engagement with celebrated his Golden Jubilee in spokesman Salvador Panelo said, another reason. shepherd the Asean Smart Cities Network. the region, espouse a rules-based As for other matters such as code of Prime Minister Lee Hsien order anchored upon international Loong handing over the conduct, Asean members have their work law, and support an open, chairmanship to Thai PM cut out to stay united and work towards transparent and inclusive regional Prayut Chan-o-cha at the realising these economic and security goals architecture. end of the Asean Summit to benet the region’s 650 million people. last Thursday. Journalists on the job • While several of the world leaders • Mr Nikolai Ivanov, a correspondent were busy at different high-level with Russian TV news channel Mic meetings, media colleagues from Izvestia, was seen holding up a US$1 trillion various publications and agencies copy of The Straits Times on (S$1.37 trillion) were busy too. camera. He said he was telling • In between furiously typing out viewers in Russia about ST’s • Joint target for two-way trade between news reports and rushing to the coverage of Russian President Asean and China by 2020, which countries next important doorstop interview, Vladimir Putin’s visit, as well as agreed to work towards at the Asean-China From Asean journalists found time to grab some Asean-Russia relations. Summit with Premier Li Keqiang. good food at the Suntec City handshake… convention centre. to Asean wave US$200 billion • One key change under Singapore’s Asean chairmanship • Joint target for two-way trade between was the change from leaders Asean and India by 2022, highlighted at the locking arms for the group photo, Asean-India Informal Breakfast Summit with to waving with their right hands. PM Narendra Modi. • The traditional “Asean-way • This gure is also the projected value of handshake” has often befuddled Asean’s Internet economy by 2025, which invited guests. will be helped by the Asean e-commerce Sock diplomacy agreement inked last Monday. • At last year’s summit in Manila, US President Donald Trump was seen • Apart from being one of the white and red pattern, matching his layers of purple, pink and grey. using both hands to clasp the (visibly) younger statesmen in town, suit, shirt and tie. • His sock choices last week were extended ngers of Vietnamese Canadian Prime Minister Justin • At a bilateral meeting with Prime more conservative, though he has Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Trudeau, 46, is also known for his Minister Lee Hsien Loong the next donned more creative designs. For leaving Philippine President sartorial savvy – in particular, day, he showed off socks in shades May the Fourth, a day Rodrigo Duterte with a spare hand. socks. of blue, black and grey – once again commemorating the Star Wars At the corner of the photo, Russian Mr Trudeau, who was invited to impeccably matching his clothes. lms, he wore mismatched socks PM Dmitry Medvedev held out both • the meetings as Canada is • On a visit to the National featuring R2-D2 and C-3PO hands instead of doing the separately. He even wore a pair of 80,000 president of the G-7 group of University of Singapore, where he traditional “crossover” for the Asean advanced nations, did not joined in a town hall discussion, on purple and yellow socks with ducks • Number of Asean residents Japan aims to handshake. disappoint. At the Four Seasons Thursday, he was seen with to the World Economic Forum support training for in the next ve years in Hotel on Tuesday, he sported a pair patterned socks in contrasting summit in Davos in January. sectors like articial intelligence, under its of socks with a geometric blue, Industrial Human Resource Development Cooperation Initiative 2.0.