ASEAN Plus Three nations must continue cooperation, prepare economies for recovery amid pandemic: PM Lee

When it involves the struggle in opposition to COVID-19 and getting ready for future pandemics, the APT nations must continue to construct public well being capacities via cooperation, exchanging data and sharing best-practices, he famous.

"We look forward to progress in the discussions on the proposals for an APT Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies and an APT Taskforce on Pandemics, which would complement ASEAN’s efforts," mentioned Mr Lee on the summit, which was held nearly.

"Beyond the immediate health concerns, the pandemic has taken a toll on our citizens’ mental health. Singapore welcomes the adoption of the APT Leaders’ Statement on Mental Health Cooperation. This addresses a pertinent but often overlooked aspect of the wellbeing of our people."

When it involves getting ready economies for recovery, Mr Lee mentioned he was glad that the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation was additional up to date this 12 months to strengthen the "regional financial safety net".

"We should also build on the APT Leaders’ Statement on Strengthening APT Cooperation for Economic and Financial Resilience in the Face of Emerging Challenges which we adopted last year. These efforts will not only mitigate the impact of the pandemic, but also help prepare for the safe reopening of our economies and societies," mentioned Mr Lee.

"We can also tap on innovative digital solutions to do so. For example, by leveraging the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) to develop interoperable platforms for mutually recognisable health certificates (with vaccination status)."