(As delivered)
Thank you very much Mr. Chair. My heartfelt gratitude to you, Minister Balakrishnan and the government of Singapore for the warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements -- always the case, this being my third visit to Singapore this year.

We are very sure that under Singapore’s able Chairmanship, this year’s ASEAN-related meetings will generate very rich harvests. In particular, this year’s theme of “resilience and innovation” very well captures the essence of our regional cooperation and the way forward.

Fellow Ministers,

Following my first ASEAN+3 (APT) gathering last year in Manila, I am very pleased to be back here to continue our discussions on ways to further enhance our cooperation. Over the past year, I have met with many of you on various occasions, both bilaterally and within multilateral settings. Just yesterday, I had a comprehensive discussion with fellow ASEAN Ministers at the ASEAN-ROK meeting. All of these engagements have allowed me to develop a deep appreciation for the depth and scope of cooperation among ASEAN and the Plus-Three countries.

Since its launch back in 1997, APT has indeed become the main vehicle for promoting East Asian cooperation and achieving the shared vision of building an East Asia community. Last year, this principal role of APT was reaffirmed by the Leaders through the Manila Declaration.

Over the past two decades, the APT process has set in motion 67 consultative bodies in 22 different areas, making it one of the most well-institutionalized apparatus for regional cooperation. Through some 400 projects, we have accumulated much experience and made substantial progress, especially in finance and food security.

Today, our ability to work together toward a common goal, especially in the face of crisis, has become even more relevant and vital. Rising anti-globalization and trade protectionism among major countries is fueling tension and threatening our aspirations for sustained economic growth. Against this backdrop, APT’s achievements in strengthening the regional financial safety net through the establishment of the Chiang Mai Initiative and its subsequent multilateralization are being newly emphasized and appreciated.

In order to effectively respond to an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global and regional environment, it is imperative that we continue to make adjustments and together explore creative ways to further deepen and broaden our cooperation.

In this regard, as Minister Wang has said, the Trilateral Summit among Korea, Japan and China held in May this year after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, and  efforts to bolster tangible cooperation will add momentum to our activities as we embark on the next 20 years of APT cooperation. I am happy to reiterate that the Leaders of the Plus-Three countries committed, as stipulated in the Joint Declaration of the Trilateral Summit, “to work in line to bring concrete and successful outcomes” in the APT framework.

Keeping in mind our initial aspiration for a community of peace, prosperity and progress, I look forward to engaging in fruitful discussions today as we share our experiences and insights. Thank you.