Chairman of ASEAN and Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong has said that ASEAN is committed to deepening its ties with India. <br/><br/>In an article in a leading Indian Newspaper Mr Lee Hsien Loong said, if ASEAN and India use the historical and cultural links to tackle today's challenges and build bridges for the future, the youth and next generation stand to gain the most.<br/><br/>Mr Loong called on the two sides to take the relationship forward by enhancing trade, investments and connectivity. The ASEAN Chairman said, these are promising areas of mutually beneficial collaboration. <br/><br/>He also stressed the need to integrate further saying that major global trends are reshaping the strategic outlook and strategic balance is shifting. Mr Loong said both must also be resolute in dealing with emerging transboundary challenges, including terrorism, cybercrime and climate change.<br/><br/>He said, ASEAN and India need to keep existing pathways up to date and relevant, including the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, AIFTA and both should work together to conclude a high-quality Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), surpassing the existing AIFTA. <br/><br/>The Singapore PM said it will create an integrated Asian market comprising nearly half the world's population and a third of the world's GDP. He said stream'lining rules and regulations will stimulate investments in both directions, complement India's Act East policy and facilitate Made in India exports to the region.<br/><br/>Mr Loong has appreciated India's efforts to improve land connectivity, including the extension of the trilateral India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway and India's 1 billion dollar line of credit to promote infrastructure connectivity with ASEAN.<br/><br/>He said, Digital connectivity is an important area of cooperation and can shape people to people connections for the future. The Singapore PM said ASEAN leaders are deeply honoured to be invited as chief guests at India's 69th Republic Day Parade.<br/><br/>Sharing the article on microblogging site Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the wonderful article by Singapore Prime Minister beautifully covers the rich history, robust cooperation and promising future of India-ASEAN relations.<br/><br/>