SINGAPORE – Singapore will do its part to shore up regional resilience amid the ongoing fuel crisis but it cannot secure its energy needs without the help of trusted partners in the region, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Resilience, he added, must be built collectively.
At an online summit with regional leaders, PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said no country can secure energy needs on its own.
That is why Singapore values the mutual support and assurance from trusted partners like Australia, Japan and ASEAN member states, he said.
In remarks delivered at the Asia Zero Emission Community Plus online summit, PM Wong said everyone is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Asia is particularly vulnerable to energy disruptions because countries in the region rely heavily on imported energy, he added.
He said: “As a trading nation, we will facilitate the continued flow of essential goods through Singapore by keeping our ports and trading links open, just as we did during the Covid pandemic.
“As a maritime hub, we will continue to uphold the navigational rights and freedoms enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which enable the steady flow of global trade across critical sea lanes.”
