December 2022
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
Tags
AIIB ASEAN ASEAN (R) ASEAN-ISIS Asia Big Tech CH: Hong Kong Country (R): Indonesia Country (R): Malaysia Country (R): Myanmar Country (R): Singapore Country: ASEAN Country: Australia Country: Cambodia Country: China Country: Germany Country: India Country: Indonesia Country: Japan Country: Laos Country: Malaysia Country: Myanmar Country: North Korea Country: Philippines Country: Qatar Country: Russia Country: Singapore Country: South Korea Country: Taiwan Country: Thailand Country: UK Country: United States Country: US Country: USA Country: Vietnam covid-19 DE: 5G DE: Data privacy DE: Data security DE: Facebook Digitalisation Elections: Indonesia 2019 Elections: Thailand 2019 ESG: Climate Change ESG: Diversity ESG: Energy ESG: Green Finance ESG: Green Growth ESG: Haze ESG: Human Rights ESG: Modern Slavery ESG: Peatland ESG: Riau ESG: Smallholders ESG: Sustainability ESG: Sustainable/Green Infrastructure European Union Event: SDSWR Events: AAF Fukushima Global Citizens Singapore Google Indonesia: Jokowi Institute: ERIA Institute: SIIA JP: Abenomics Leaders: Kim Jong Un Leaders: Lee Hsien Loong Megatrends: Populism MM: Aung San Suu Kyi MM: NLD MM: Rakhine State MY: Anwar Ibrahim MY: GE14 MY: Mahathir Mohamad MY: Najib Razak New Horizons New Zealand Nicholas Fang Oh Ei Sun Recovery Region: Latin America Region: Middle East Reports Security: South China Sea Security: Terrorism SG: Lee Kuan Yew SG: SG Secure SG: Smart Nation SG: Society Simon Tay Sustainable infrastructure Topic (R): Belt and Road Topic (R): Business Topic (R): Digitisation Topic (R): Economy Topic (R): Green Finance Topic (R): Haze Topic (R): Infrastructure Topic (R): Palm Oil Topic (R): Peatland Topic (R): Smallholders Topic (R): Sustainability Topic: Anti-Globalisation Topic: Belt and Road Topic: Business Topic: Coronavirus Topic: COVID-19 Topic: Deforestation Topic: Development Topic: Digital Economy Topic: Digitisation Topic: E-Commerce Topic: Economics Topic: Economy Topic: Elections Topic: Environment Topic: ESG Topic: Finance Topic: Global Citizens Topic: Globalisation Topic: Human Trafficking Topic: Indo-Pacific Topic: Infrastructure Topic: Investment Topic: Labour Topic: Nuclear Topic: Palm Oil Topic: Race Topic: Regional Integration Topic: Religion Topic: Security Topic: Singapore-Malaysia Relations Topic: Small States Topic: Trade Trade: AEC Trade: CPTPP Trade: FTA Trade: Multilateralism Trade: RCEP Trade: TPP Trade: War Trends (Digital): Cybersecurity UK: Brexit United States US: Obama US: Trump US: Trump WEF youth

Singapore’s Role in ASEAN’s Sustainable Infrastructure

04 Sep Singapore’s Role in ASEAN’s Sustainable Infrastructure

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is often lauded as the new growth frontier blessed with a growing young working population and massive economic opportunities. As the regional bloc moves towards economic integration, better infrastructure and connectivity is needed to facilitate greater movement of goods, services, labour and capital.

Critically, “the infrastructure of the future cannot be the infrastructure of the past”, observed Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in a dialogue session at our 11th ASEAN & Asia Forum (AAF) on 30 August 2018. The infrastructure of the future will require more consideration on how it can be more green, more sustainable and smarter. While sustainable infrastructure is frequently associated with green, others see it as financially viable infrastructure that will last for the long term. Such infrastructure projects are less likely to be a stranded asset, less likely to face regulatory hurdles, less likely to be technologically obsolete. Instead, it is more likely to receive broad-based community support, noted one of the speakers in the panel “Powering ASEAN’s Infrastructure through Green Finance”.

The panel featured Ms. Rana Karadsheh-Haddad, Country Manager – Singapore, International Finance Corporation (IFC); Mr. Colin Chen, Managing Director, Head of Structured Finance Asian Investment Banking Division, MUFG Bank; Mr. Harold Tjiptadjaja, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF) as well as Mr. Tan Cheng Guan, Head, Renewables & Environment Business, Sembcorp Industries Ltd. The discussion was moderated by SIIA Chairman, Associate Professor Simon Tay.

Singapore can play a key role as a centre of connectivity for the region and capture the massive opportunities for sustainable infrastructure. One important aspect is to bring capital and projects together and early steps have been taken with the introduction of the Infrastructure Asia office. The Infrastructure Asia office brings together local and international partners across the value chain to provide a platform for information exchange. This will increase understanding of infrastructure opportunities in Asia and promote infrastructure investments and financing. Moving forward, sustainable financing will be critical to such discussions, yet securing buy-in from the infrastructure ecosystem will require an understanding of the full costs and benefits of embarking on sustainability.

Apart from government efforts, Singapore companies can also play a part in expanding sustainable infrastructure in the region. Many of these companies already enjoy an edge in the areas of climate-related work and technology. By having more risk appetite to venture overseas, these companies could be more successful, on a much larger scale.

Clearly, Singapore has deep interests to capture the infrastructure growth opportunities at its doorstep. Yet, the country must look to offer more sustainable financing and sustainable infrastructure solutions, if it wants to add value to the region and shape its long-term success.