Can Singapore be the ‘natural choice’ to bridge Asean and Central Asia?

Singapore is positioning itself as a bridge between Central Asia and Asean, as both regions increasingly look to each other amid growing disruption to global trade and intensifying superpower rivalry. The political appetite exists, but analysts say trade benefits will still hinge on overcoming obstacles such as geography and a lack of connectivity. Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong pitched the city state to Central Asian businesses during his visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from August 24 to 31. “Singapore has long been a gateway to Southeast Asia, a region of more than 700 million people and one of the fastest-growing parts of the world,” he told the Uzbekistan parliament on Monday. Lee said the city state, set to assume chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year, would explore ways to boost cooperation between both regions in potential sectors such as transport, connectivity and energy. “We strive for a Southeast Asia which is linked to many countries and regions, where many partners can participate in and benefit from Southeast Asia’s stability and success, and Central Asia fits well into this vision.” Lee also voiced hopes for an increase in bilateral cooperation with Central Asian states. Singapore and Tashkent have agreed to start negotiating a free-trade agreement to further boost “nascent economic ties”. “Amidst all the uncertainty and turbulence in the world, smaller countries like us must continue to strengthen our partnership and cooperation – globally, between our regions, and bilaterally,” he said. Other Asean states have also recently stepped up efforts to advance cooperation with Central Asian countries. Leaders from Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan agreed to expand cooperation in potential areas such as science, technology, transport and people-to-people exchanges on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Plus Summit on Monday. They also vowed to promote both parties’ bridging role in enhancing connectivity between Southeast Asia and Central Asia, according to local media. In June, Thailand and Kazakhstan signed a 2027-2028 road map outlining plans to advance cooperation in multiple sectors such as food security, hospitality and medical tourism. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow had earlier said Bangkok was ready to serve as a bridge in developing cooperation with Asean states. Converging interests Disruptions to trade routes due to global conflicts have reinforced the importance of cooperation between both regions, analysts say. Central Asia, which acts as a “land bridge” connecting China, Europe and the Middle East, is increasingly important to Asean as the bloc seeks investment opportunities and a stronger supply chain, according to Sabina Insebayeva, assistant professor of political science and international relations at Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University. Interest in the Middle Corridor – which runs through Kazakhstan across the inland Caspian Sea by ship to Azerbaijan, onwards to Georgia and into Turkey – as an alternative trade route has grown due to disruptions to established channels, she noted. Meanwhile, the landlocked Central Asia was likely to view Southeast Asia’s maritime routes as a link to Eurasia, as it tried to secure resources and capital to strengthen economic resilience, said Hoo Chiew-Ping, senior fellow at the East Asian International Relations Caucus. “Southeast Asia offers an attractive blueprint as a high-growth, neutral hub that maintains balanced relations with major global powers, including the US, Europe, China and Russia,” she said. While there is ample goodwill and willingness to enhance bilateral and regional cooperation, analysts warn that geographical differences and a lack of connectivity may hamper the development of a partnership which is still in its early stages. Regulatory and institutional gaps also risked the effectiveness of advancing partnerships and business relations, as both regions had limited familiarity and knowledge of each other’s markets, they said. “The main constraint is geography,” said Barbora Valockova, a research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s Centre on Asia and Globalisation. “Central Asia is landlocked and far from Southeast Asia, and overland routes involve multiple borders, transport modes and regulatory systems.” Lin noted that both regions were in the “early stages” of cooperation, and said the challenge of turning agreements into commercially viable projects remained. “Governments can open doors and establish frameworks, but private companies will only support initiatives if there is sufficient market demand, scale and profitability,” she said. “Differences in regulatory systems, market conditions and business practices can also slow implementation.” Central Asia also lacked a centralised and institutionally integrated bloc, such as an Asean equivalent, to ensure the effectiveness of an inter-regional mechanism, Hoo said. Economic ties between both regions had been experiencing “emerging momentum”, said Insebayeva, who urged greater support and working mechanisms in the form of business forums, investment facilitation and educational exchanges. Singapore’s role While Singapore is well positioned to bridge both regions due to its connectivity and business-friendly environment, analysts say direct links between all economies are needed for commercial viability. The city state was a “natural choice” due to its institutional credibility and technical expertise, and could provide a trusted platform for firms unfamiliar with Southeast Asia, Insebayeva said. She noted that Kazakhstan had long drawn inspiration from Singapore in areas such as public administration and financial services, a practice that built trust. Singapore’s existing partnerships with countries in the region could be a model for multi-regional cooperation, Insebayeva said, citing a bilateral services and investment agreement with Astana which came into effect in March last year. “Singapore should be seen as a facilitator rather than the sole gateway,” said Joanne Lin, senior fellow and Asean Studies Centre coordinator at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. “It can connect businesses, capital and expertise across the two regions, but success will ultimately depend on commercially viable opportunities and stronger transport and business links.” Singapore’s coming Asean chairmanship was an optimal time to take its existing strong bilateral ties to a multi-regional level, Valockova said, but added that deeper multi-regional ties would require participation from other major Southeast Asian economies such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. “The realistic goal is an open and flexible network of partnerships that strengthens economic resilience and connectivity,” she said.

Can Singapore be the ‘natural choice’ to bridge Asean and Central Asia?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore aims to explore ways to boost cooperation between both regions in various sectors

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore aims to explore ways to boost cooperation between both regions in various sectors