Multilateral cooperation has now become “more urgent than ever” for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the world is facing complex challenges, such as trade uncertainties and technological disruptions, local TV channel reported on Tuesday, citing Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the summit, Lee called on ASEAN members to uphold multilateralism and international cooperation in future development and tackling common challenges including terrorism and climate change.

“Countries, including major powers, are resorting to unilateral actions and bilateral deals, and even explicitly repudiating multilateral approaches and institutions. It is unclear if the world will settle into new rules and norms of international engagement, or whether the international order will break up into rival blocs.”

The summit, drawing the leaders of ASEAN's 10 member countries, will review the bloc's achievements from 2018 and push forward community building and integration while mapping out a new course for the year ahead.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.