Programme

0900 – 0930 

Registration 

0930 – 0940 

Welcome Remarks

Mr. Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA)

0940 – 1020

Keynote Dialogue: Keeping Singapore Competitive in a Disrupted World

Keynote Speaker:

• Mr. Jeffrey Siow, Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance, Republic of Singapore 

Moderator:

• Mr. Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA)

1020 – 1130

Panel 1: Competitiveness in an Age of Fragmentation   

Regulatory divergence, economic security concerns and decarbonisation pressures are reshaping investment flows. Amid these shifts, businesses and policymakers must rethink what makes a hub resilient and investable. Over the course of 2026, the SIIA has been convening a series of roundtable dialogues with MNCs in Singapore, collectively called the Competitiveness Commission (CompCom). 

This panel features perspectives from participating companies on how competitiveness is being redefined in a more fragmented global economy. The discussion will examine how Singapore can anchor trust, connectivity, and innovation amid global uncertainty, how ASEAN economies can avoid internal fragmentation, and what reforms are necessary to sustain investor confidence in a more contested geoeconomic environment.

Panellists:

• Dr. Claus Rettig, President (Asia Pacific), Evonik (SEA) Pte Ltd 
• Mr. Alejandro Osorio, Managing Director, Grab Singapore
• Ms. Wendy Cheong, MD-Regional Head of APAC, Moody’s Investors Service Singapore Pte Ltd
• Mr. Foo Cexiang, Vice President, Port Ecosystem Development, PSA Singapore

Moderator:

• Mr. Satya Ramamurthy, Chair, Public Sector in the Structured Finance Department Asia Pacific, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Council Member, SIIA 

1130 – 1150

Tea Break

1150 – 1305 

Panel 2: ASEAN’s Competitive Future amidst Trade Turbulence 

As tariff uncertainty, energy disruptions, and logistics shocks reshape regional trade, the key question for ASEAN is no longer whether volatility will persist, but how to stay investable and competitive through it. Businesses are rethinking sourcing, production, and capital allocation, while governments are trying to reduce overdependence, protect growth, and keep their economies attractive to foreign investors. For ASEAN, competitiveness now depends not just on cost, but on resilience, connectivity, and policy credibility.  

This panel will examine how ASEAN and Asian economies are responding through investment policy, industrial upgrading, supply-chain diversification, and stronger trade and logistics connectivity. The focus will be practical: what makes a location investable now, how governments can reinforce business confidence, and how the region can remain a compelling base for production and growth in a more unsettled global economy. 

Panel Keynote: 

• Mr. Todotua Pasaribu, Vice Minister of Investment and Downstreaming and Deputy Head of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, Republic of Indonesia
  

Panellists: 

• Mr. Gareth Wong, Chief Operating Officer, Integrated Urban Solutions, Sembcorp Industries

Moderator:

• Mr. Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA)
  

1305 – 1405 

Lunch

1405 – 1450

Keynote Dialogue: Power and Agency amidst Turmoil

Keynote speaker:

• Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Republic of Singapore

Moderator: 

• Ms. Quah Ley Hoon, Group Chief Corporate Officer, CapitaLand Investment and Council Member, SIIA

1450 – 1605

Panel 3: Agency, Rules, and Partnerships in ASEAN and Asia-Pacific 

Countries across ASEAN and Asia-Pacific are under growing pressure to navigate both strategic and economic uncertainty in a region shaped by major power rivalry, shifting partnerships, and a weaker rules-based environment. The challenge is how countries in the region can preserve agency, remain flexible, and continue to shape their own strategic and economic space without being boxed into choices made by larger powers. In this context, ASEAN remains an important platform for engagement, agenda-setting, and regional norm-shaping. 

This panel will examine how ASEAN and its regional partners are responding through pragmatism, strategic agility, and partnerships. It will explore what these shifts mean for ASEAN’s ability to remain a credible platform for economic coordination and regional engagement in a more contested environment, and what this means for businesses in terms of market access, supply chains, investment confidence, and regional stability.

Panel Keynote:

• Dr. Kirida Bhaopichitr, Vice Minister of Commerce, Kingdom of Thailand 

Panellists:

• H.E. Tiffany McDonald, Australian Ambassador to ASEAN
• Dr. Lili Yan Ing, Secretary General, International Economic Association (IEA)
• Mr. Lee Jae Hoon, Senior Advisor, Kim & Chang; Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea

Moderator: 

• Dr. Selina Ho, Council Member, SIIA and Dean’s Chair Associate Professor in International Affairs and Vice-Dean (Research and Development), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

1605 – 1615

Closing Remarks

Mr. Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs

1615

End

*Last updated 10 June 2026. The programme is subject to change.