DPM Heng Swee Keat participating in the opening plenary dialogue session with moderator KK Chua (right) and panellist Helen Wong on July 12, 2021.PHOTO: MCI SINGAPORE, July 12 (The Straits Times/ANN) - Apart from deepening cooperation in existing areas such as trade, Asean and China can benefit from exploring new "building blocks" of growth in areas such as digitalisation and sustainability, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday (July 12). With sound economic fundamentals and a total combined population of two billion people, there is large potential for catch-up growth, he added. But even as it ramps up collaboration with China, Asean must stay united and keep engaging all major partners, Mr Heng said. This is especially the case when South-east Asian countries get caught up in the intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China.