S'pore welcomes Japan's efforts to help Asia become greener: PM Lee

He says Azec initiative will help members collaborate on new decarbonisation efforts

- Walter Sim

Singapore is fully behind Japan’s efforts to include sustainability issues as part of its diplomacy, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Dec 18.

Speaking to the Singapore media at the end of his visit to Tokyo, PM Lee described the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community (Azec) initiative as a “footprint of countries” it wants to cooperate with on green issues.

The core principle of Azec is that there is no one-size-fits-all formula to decarbonisation, given unique national circumstances, and advocates customised pathways to enable countries to cut carbon emissions.

“(Azec) includes all of the Asean countries except Myanmar, and adding in also Australia. So it’s the footprint of countries they want to cooperate with on green and sustainability issues as part of their diplomacy. And it’s something which we fully support,” said PM Lee.

The framework comprises elements such as green hydrogen, infrastructure for sustainable energy and the financing of sustainable energy, he told reporters.

“These are all things which Singapore will need to look to, if we are going to reach net zero in 2050,” he said. “It’s going to be a very big challenge, it’s not at all a straightforward matter, and it’s still a work in progress. But we’ve set a goal, and we will do our best to work towards it.”

The Azec held its first leaders’ meeting earlier on Dec 18, the last day of a three-day gathering of South-east Asian leaders in Tokyo to mark a half-century of Japan-Asean relations.

PM Lee told reporters that the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, which ended on Dec 12, had set “the right direction for the world” with its statement on transitioning away from fossil fuels.

This, he said, was a clear message that the world must become less reliant on fossil fuels by developing renewables and other new sources of energy.