South-east Asian nations are looking to bring a key regional trade agreement into force within the year, amid supply chain disruptions and rising energy costs due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. This was one of the issues discussed at the 27th Asean Economic Community Council (AECC) meeting held on the island of Cebu in the Philippines on Thursday (May 7), ahead of the 48th Asean Summit. At the meeting, the region’s economic ministers – including Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong – reaffirmed commitments to uphold open trade and resilient supply chains in response to the situation in the Middle East. https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/asean-leaders-seek-bring-regional-trade-pact-force-year-amid-middle-east-pressures (ICE SINGAPORE)

Fonte notizia: The Business Times, 7 May 2026