Chairman's Statement of the 20th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit Singapore, 14 November 2018

1. The 20th ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit was held on 14 November 2018 in Singapore. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, and attended by all Heads of State/Government of ASEAN Member States and H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the ROK. The Secretary-General of ASEAN was also in attendance.

2. We welcomed the significant progress of ASEAN-ROK relations this year. ASEAN Leaders expressed appreciation for the ROK’s New Southern Policy and the formation of the Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy initiated by President Moon this year, which aimed to further strengthen and deepen ASEAN-ROK Strategic Partnership based on the three pillars of “People, Prosperity and Peace”.

3. ASEAN Leaders welcomed the progress in the implementation of the ASEAN-ROK Plan of Action 2016-2020, and agreed to further implement the Plan of Action to deepen cooperation in wide-ranging areas, including sustainable development, poverty reduction, clean energy, green growth, and information and communications technology. ASEAN Leaders appreciated the ROK’s commitment to continue supporting ASEAN’s efforts to deepen economic integration, including the effective implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan III, with a focus on narrowing the development gap within ASEAN. ASEAN Leaders also welcomed the ROK’s support for the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN).

4. ASEAN Leaders expressed appreciation for the ROK’s continued support for ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture, and both sides reaffirmed our commitment to strengthen cooperation through the various ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Plus Three (APT), East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).

5. We reaffirmed our joint commitment to further enhance cooperation to address traditional and non-traditional threats to regional peace and security, including transnational crimes, terrorism and violent extremism, maritime security and marine conservation, natural disasters, food and energy security, climate change-related disasters and environment management, and cybersecurity. We welcomed the science and technology (S&T) cooperation between ASEAN and the ROK, which included the conduct of activities to strengthen technical capacity to respond to climate change including Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and renewable energy.

6. We noted the significant economic relations between both sides, with the ROK as ASEAN’s fifth largest trading partner and ASEAN’s fifth largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2017. Total bilateral merchandise trade reached USD 153 billion, and FDI inflows from the ROK to ASEAN amounted to USD 5.3 billion. We reaffirmed our commitment to further enhance ASEAN-ROK trade and investment by capitalising on the ASEAN-ROK Free Trade Area (AKFTA), with a view towards achieving the target of USD 200 billion by 2020 for bilateral trade. We agreed to strengthen ongoing efforts to advance negotiations for further tariff liberalisation of sensitive track products under the ASEAN-ROK Trade in Goods Agreement (AKTIGA). We welcomed the completion of the ratification process of the Third Protocol to Amend the Agreement on Trade in Goods under the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Among the Governments of the Republic of Korea and ASEAN (the 3rd Protocol to Amend AKFTA) and looked forward to the effective implementation of the Protocol by all Parties. We noted the importance of improving the Intellectual Property (IP) regime to ensure the protection of innovation, and welcomed the cooperation between ASEAN and ROK IP-related government organisations.

7. We welcomed the various activities conducted by the ASEAN-Korea Business Council (AKBC) to deepen business-to-business cooperation and networking between ASEAN and the ROK. We welcomed the establishment of the healthcare sectoral board under the AKBC. We encouraged the AKBC to work closely with the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) and relevant ASEAN bodies to enhance competitiveness and resilience of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in ASEAN through cooperation in areas such as productivity enhancement, innovation, human resource development, better financial and market access and regulatory frameworks, and sharing of best practices. We also welcomed the launch of the official AKBC website and noted the ASEAN-Korea SMEs Business Delegation Programme. These initiatives would facilitate deeper cooperation and networking among companies of ASEAN and the ROK. ASEAN Leaders also welcomed the support provided by the ROK for MSMEs through the Technical Advice and Solutions from Korea (TASK) programme, which provides onsite technical consultations on technology-related issues to ASEAN MSMEs.

8. We welcomed the substantial progress made in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2018. We noted with satisfaction that the RCEP negotiations have advanced to the final stage, and we expressed our determination to conclude a modern, comprehensive, high quality, and mutually beneficial RCEP in 2019. We also expressed our commitment to uphold a global trade environment that is open, mutually beneficial, rules-based and inclusive through the RCEP.

9. We noted the commitment of the ASEAN and ROK Transport Ministers to further enhance air transport connectivity between and beyond ASEAN and the ROK, and looked forward to the convening of the 2nd Meeting of the ASEAN-ROK Working Group on Regional Air Services Arrangements in the first half of 2019, to resume the negotiations towards the conclusion of a more liberal and mutually beneficial ASEAN-ROK Air Services Agreement (AK-ASA).

10. We welcomed the outcomes of the 1st ASEAN-ROK Infrastructure Ministers Meeting held on 17 September 2018 in Seoul, which was a step towards strengthening cooperation in sustainable infrastructure and regional connectivity. We reaffirmed the need to improve quality of living in cities in response to rapid urbanisation, and pursue cooperation in sustainable urbanisation and smart cities, including through the ASCN.

11. ASEAN Leaders appreciated the ROK’s continued support in promoting closer cultural cooperation and people-to-people ties, which remain key pillars of ASEAN-ROK cooperation. We welcomed the ROK’s commitment to increase two-way people-to-people exchanges to 15 million by 2020, and encouraged more youth and media exchanges particularly through education, scholarship programmes and other initiatives on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). We noted the important role of the AKC and the ASEAN Culture House (ACH) in Busan in promoting understanding of ASEAN culture in the ROK, and looked forward to enhancing cooperation between the ACH and the ASEAN Cultural Centre in Bangkok. We also welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN-ROK Work Plan on Cooperation in Culture and Arts 2019-2021, and the ROK’s hosting of the 2019 ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts Plus ROK Meeting in Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations. We recognised the pivotal role and contribution of the AKC in increasing trade and investment flows, promoting connectivity and tourism, fostering people-to-people exchanges, and enriching cultural exchanges between ASEAN and the ROK.

12. We noted that ongoing projects and activities being implemented under the ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) Agreement would further strengthen cooperation in promoting sustainable forest management, and welcomed the establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), which aims to strengthen regional forest cooperation and mitigate the impact of climate change. We also welcomed the ROK’s continued support towards various cooperation initiatives under the ASEAN-ROK Environmental Cooperation Project (AKECOP), which has now entered Phase IX. We further noted the progress of ASEAN-ROK cooperation on the environment, including the ongoing project on “Building Resilience for Sustainable ASEAN from Water-Related Disasters”.

13. ASEAN Leaders welcomed the ROK’s plan to increase its contributions to the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund (AKCF) as part of the ROK’s New Southern Policy. We noted with satisfaction the work of the ASEAN-ROK Programme Management Team (AKPMT) in facilitating the implementation of AKCF projects. We encouraged more project proposals and programmes in priority cooperation areas of education, environment, and culture under the New Framework for AKCF 2017-2020. We also welcomed the 19th ASEAN-Korea Future-Oriented Youth Exchange Programme, which facilitated mutual understanding among students and youth from the ASEAN Member States and the ROK. The ASEAN Youth in Action (AYIA)-Learning Express programme also encouraged youth to explore innovative solutions to improve the lives of ASEAN peoples in their local communities. In this connection, we also agreed to enhance cooperation in education and looked forward to further youth exchanges, scholarship programmes, and other initiatives that deepen cultural understanding among our youths.

14. We welcomed the Inter-Korean Summits held on 27 April 2018, 26 May 2018 and from 18 to 20 September 2018, as well as the Singapore Summit between the United States (US) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 12 June 2018. We also welcomed the Panmunjom Declaration and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration signed between President Moon and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK Kim Jong Un, as well as the Joint Statement signed between US President Donald J Trump and Chairman Kim. We recognised and appreciated President Moon’s efforts in bringing about the progress thus far.

15. We urged all concerned parties to continue working towards the realisation of lasting peace and stability on a denuclearised Korean Peninsula, including through the full and expeditious implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, the Pyongyang Joint Declaration and the Joint Statement by the US and DPRK leaders. We highlighted the DPRK’s pledge to refrain from further nuclear and missile tests and called on the DPRK to fulfil its stated commitment to complete denuclearisation. We reiterated our commitment to the full implementation of all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and noted international efforts to bring about complete denuclearisation in a final, fully verified manner.

16. We agreed to convene the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in the ROK in 2019 to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations, and looked forward to marking this important milestone.

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