Singapore's Economic Development and Digital Transboundary Initiatives of the ASEAN Economic Community: An Instrumental Perspective

Abstract

The article aims to clarify the extent to which digital cooperation between the Republic of Singapore and its ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) partners within the framework of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) can instrumentally contribute to Singapore’s economic development. On revealing salient features of the Republic of Singapore’s economic modernization, the article further proceeds to assessing Singapore’s approach to the digital transformation of its economy. Then the paper traces Singapore’s AEC priorities and discusses prospects for providing ASEAN-led multilateral transboundary projects with efficient digital support. The latter includes infrastructure development and digital competences, as well as regulation of data transboundary exchanges and data center construction.  A special emphasis is placed on global value chains (GVC) in Southeast Asia as a role player in carrying out ASEAN-led digital projects. The authors argue that negative integration as the backbone of ASEAN’s approach to its multilateral economic initiatives extends to the digital field and hinders digital support for operational projects. It minimizes Singapore’s possibilities to use intra-AEC cooperation for broadening its economic development-related instruments. The relevance of the research stems from the rise in prominence of digital agenda in ASEAN cooperation ahead of AEC stage two, scheduled for 2025, as well as from revealing the limits of Singapore’s modernization strategy ahead of 60th anniversary of its independence. The paper’s research focus accounts for its academic and practical significance, as a “reboot” of Singapore’s “new-industrialism” version in synergy with its policy towards the AEC with an emphasis on ASEAN-led multilateral transboundary digital projects have not been an area of special research in Russia and other countries.