ABSTRACT
As an international centre of exchange and commerce, Singapore needs new technologies and skills to connect across the world. The commitment of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to international cybersecurity stems from member states’ recognition that their digital economies need to be secure. The Heads of State at East Asia Summit 2018 also agreed that ‘effective international cooperation would benefit from identifying mechanisms for the participation, as appropriate, of the private sector, academia and civil society organisations’. ASEAN faces significant structural challenges to cooperation in cyberspace issues, stemming from the uneven distribution of technological, operational, policy, and legal capacity and capabilities of ASEAN member states. ASEAN member states’ see their national security, stability and economic growth being reliant on an ‘open, secure, stable, accessible, and peaceful information and communication technologies environment’ for the digital economy development, not only domestically but also internationally.
