ASEAN urged to stay active in responding to all challenges

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh together with leaders of ASEAN member states on November 11 attended the 40th ASEAN Summit with a focus on discussing the the ASEAN Community building process.

In his remarks, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi updated the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 on all three pillars with many positive results.

The rate of implementation of action lines in the political-security pillar reached 98%, with numerous cooperation activities in defence, cyber security, transnational crime prevention, justice, border management as well as in cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.

GDP growth in the region is forecast to hit 5.1% in 2022 and 5.0% in 2023, while trade and foreign investment progress positively, despite global challenges due to geopolitical tensions, rising inflation and tight finances.

The service sector, especially tourism, saw a strong recovery thanks to widespread vaccination programs.

Cooperation in education, health, the environment, culture and art, human resource development, and climate change response continue to be promoted in order to improve the quality of life for people.

Leaders of other countries applauded the efforts of the Cambodian President to lead and outline orientations for ASEAN cooperation with many important initiatives.

ASEAN's achievements over the past year are seen as a strong example of resilience and adaptability. The countries affirmed that the key to ASEAN's success, in the past, present and future, is the efforts and determination of all member countries to maintain the unity and central role of the regional bloc.

Leaders welcomed efforts to build a vision of the ASEAN Community after 2025, emphasizing the significance and orientations of documents regarding ASEAN cooperation and integration in the coming decade, especially in light of the complicated and unpredictable movements of the regional and international situation.

Based on the assessment report of the three pillars- politics-security, economy and socio-culture-  the leaders adopted the Declaration on Timor Leste's application to join ASEAN, expressing their support in principle the admission of Timor Leste as the 11th member of ASEAN, granting observer status to Timor Leste and assigning the ASEAN Coordinating Council to develop a roadmap for this country's accession to submit to the 10th ASEAN Summit for consideration to give a decision.

On this occasion, they expressed their appreciation for the efforts and substantive contributions of ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi over the past 5 years, to promoting the process of building the ASEAN Community, and promoting the position and image of the ASEAN Community.

The meeting also agreed to appoint Kao Kim Hourn as Secretary-General of ASEAN for the 2023-2027 tenure.

In his speech at the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to work closely with Cambodia and ASEAN member states to ensure the success of the summits.

Sharing the leaders' opinions on the difficulties and challenges posed to ASEAN, the Vietnamese Government chief expressed his support for the 2022 theme “Addressing Challenges Together”, which is very correct and timely. ASEAN's 55-year development process shows that solidarity is a decisive factor behind ASEAN's success and the strength for the regional grouping to maintain stability in the current context of instability.

PM Chinh suggested ASEAN give lessons learned on cooperation and coordinated actions in epidemic control, response and prevention.

Accordingly, he proposed organizing a high-level Forum to promote the partnership on equitable recovery and sustainable growth in ASEAN, scheduled to take place in the first half of 2023.

With the aim of putting people at the center, goal and driving force of the community building process, the Vietnamese cabinet leader suggested that the ASEAN Community Vision after 2025 should pay due attention to all social groups, promote inclusive growth and ensure equal enjoyment of all people.

This should be done with harmonizing equitable development and sustainable growth and policies to promote hard and soft infrastructure in sub-regions, with ASEAN's common process in order to provide driving force for the regional development.

Amid the regional and global economic slowdown, the Vietnamese Government leader emphasized that ASEAN needs to strongly open its markets, remove trade barriers, and jointly create new growth engines to catch up with the changing trend. Currently, it is imperative to boost coordination in vocational training, especially in emerging economic sectors to improve adaptive capacity in a flexible and effective manner.

Along with the trend of green development, countries need to step up cooperation in the development of digital government, digital economy, green economy, circular economy, digital society with a view to turning digital transformation, green economy, and circular economy into fresh impetus for regional development.

Together with the ASEAN leaders, PM Chinh voiced Vietnam’s support in principle for Timor Leste’s admission to ASEAN according to the procedures in ASEAN.

Regarding international and regional issues, he affirmed that ASEAN needs to play a central role, in which it is necessary to accelerate the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and step up efforts to build the effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

At the end of the meeting, the ASEAN leaders adopted many important documents such as the ASEAN leaders’ vision statement on ASEAN ACT: Addressing Challenges Together, ASEAN leaders' statement on the 55th anniversary of ASEAN, and ASEAN leaders’ statement on ASEAN connectivity post-2025 agenda.