Singapore ready to share maritime development expertise with Vietnam: Ambassador Rajpal Singh
WVR - On the sidelines of the 18th international scientific conference on the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea), Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh, told The World and Vietnam Report that Vietnam and ASEAN have an important role to play in promoting dialogue, strengthening cooperation and maintaining stability in the East Sea.
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Strengthening Vietnam-Singapore maritime connectivity
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| Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh (far left) chairs Session 2, entitled “Managing the New Maritime Race: Partnerships and Strategic Stability”, at the 18th international scientific conference on the East Sea. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Ambassador Rajpal Singh noted that maritime connectivity has always been essential to Singapore’s growth and development.
Against this backdrop, Singapore stands ready to share its experience in building up the maritime industry and developing supply chains with partner countries, including East Sea.
According to the Ambassador, such knowledge-sharing covers a range of areas, from the construction and management of port systems to encouraging greater business participation in the sector.
One example is PSA, one of Singapore’s leading port management and development groups, which is working with Vietnamese partners on a port development project in the East Sea this year.
Alongside business cooperation, Vietnam and Singapore are also stepping up coordination at the highest levels to ensure the smooth flow of maritime transport.
The Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam highlighted that, during General Secretary and President To Lam’s State Visit to Singapore in May, the two sides agreed on a joint statement on maintaining supply chains and essential trade routes.
Assessing the prospects for cooperation, the Ambassador affirmed that Vietnam and Singapore had worked closely together on maritime connectivity, adding that there remained considerable scope to further develop bilateral cooperation in the years ahead.
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| Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh. (Photo: Anh Duc) |
Strengthening strategic stability in the East Sea
Assessing the relevance of the theme of the 18th international scientific conference on the East Sea, “Contestation, Connectivity and Cooperation: The South China Sea and the Regional Maritime Order”, Ambassador Rajpal Singh said that the three concepts reflected some of the region’s most pressing issues today.
First, on contestation, the Ambassador observed that it was a reality in many parts of the world, requiring countries to adopt appropriate approaches to safeguard a peaceful and stable environment.
Second, on connectivity, the Singaporean diplomat underscored the need to maintain and strengthen links between countries, thereby promoting economic growth and improving people’s livelihoods.
Third, on cooperation and strategic stability, Ambassador Rajpal Singh said these were shared objectives for countries in the region, given the sea’s essential role in trade and economic development.
To translate these objectives into action, the Singaporean Ambassador placed particular emphasis on the role of Vietnam, as well as ASEAN as a whole, in promoting dialogue, coordinating collective efforts and upholding the regional order.
Accordingly, countries should make effective use of existing cooperation frameworks, prioritise dialogue, implement confidence-building measures and strengthen coordination mechanisms.
