About the Workshop

The Asia-Pacific economic and security architecture is evolving alongside shifts to the global system. The US-led liberal order built an inclusive multilateral architecture that was instituted after the Cold War but is now being challenged by changing interstate power dynamics manifested in intensifying Sino-US competition. The region must further contend with the rise of new ‘minilaterals’ that, while not always overtly exclusive, has been designed for strategic competition and therefore have exclusive characteristics. The post-Cold War system has also been altered by the changing relations between states and markets, as seen in rapid digital transformation of economies. This adds an additional layer of complexity over this period of rapid change.

Given great power competition, geopolitics has become a determining factor of industrial and trade policy. The US, in particular, has eschewed traditional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) which have long been the centrepiece of multilateralism and trade policy for the region. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai called FTAs “20th century tools” and the Biden administration has adopted a cautious approach in pursuing new FTAs or re-examining existing ones. ASEAN member states must adjust to this great power reorientation if they are to remain relevant, yet they also maintain the continued utility of FTAs. The challenge is that the US has sought to redefine the structure and substance of conventional FTAs while looking into alternative arrangements with its partners. However, for ASEAN countries and Singapore – deeply connected with the global economy and having benefitted from international trade in the post-Cold War era – FTAs remain critical policy instruments designed to enhance economic cooperation. What is to be seen includes how emerging mechanisms will interact with the existing ones and shape the future of multilateralism.

Despite changes in the regional order, ASEAN has pressed ahead with its goal of community-building, recently launching negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA). This is poised to be the first major regionwide digital economy agreement in the world that enables and safeguards the digital trade ecosystem as ASEAN works towards the completion of the DEFA negotiations by 2025 on issues such as digital trade, cross-border e-commerce, cybersecurity, digital identities (IDs), digital payments, and cross-border data flows. However, challenges such as the existing digital divide within and between ASEAN member states, privacy, cybersecurity, and technological competition remain as ASEAN strives for an ASEAN Digital Community by 2045.

ASEAN’s efforts to realize a people-centered community have also brought attention to the region’s sustainable development efforts on areas such as renewable energy transition and the path towards a low carbon economy. The current ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 2016–2025 prioritises the expansion of multilateral power trade, placing a target of 23 percent of energy needs coming from renewables by 2025. Climate change also poses an asymmetric challenge for Southeast Asia and as such, it is crucial that stakeholders in ASEAN remain abreast of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a timely manner.

As foreign economic and industrial policies become increasingly dominated by geopolitical considerations and the race to win technological competitions, can multilateralism survive? This RSIS workshop aims to critically evaluate the prospects and viability of economic cooperation initiatives in the current climate amid new dynamics relating to digitalisation, industrial policies, sustainability initiatives and minilateralism. Distinguished experts will raise awareness of current challenges to multilateralism, discuss Singapore and ASEAN’s policy options, and examine ways to reimagine ASEAN’s continued economic engagement with big and small states.