Vietnam attends meeting on ASEAN’s mineral cooperation with partners

Nguyen Thanh Thao, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation under the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, said that within the ASEAN+3 framework of co-operation, many joint activities have been carried out. These have primarily focused on mineral exploitation and have so far yielded remarkable results. Accordingly, the countries have discussed, agreed upon, and realised co-operation measures to promote effective management in the region towards attaining greater environmental protection and sustainable development.

Moving forward, ASEAN+3 countries must support the region’s mining industry to recover and develop following the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is along with maintaining and strengthening the connectivity of mineral product supply chains in a sustainable and complementary manner, stepping up financial co-operation, utilising science and technology advances, and mobilising private investment in co-operation. This is largely relating to infrastructure development, green finance, and human resource development in the mining industry, Thao emphasised.

According to Le Quoc Hung, deputy head of the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, over the years the Vietnamese mining industry has demonstrated its role and position in national socio-economic development, and is gradually getting closer to the level of developed countries.

Furthermore, the sector has actively contributed to the implementation of the Party's guidelines and the Government's directions on external affairs related to the protection and sustainable development of natural resources and minerals. Indeed, it is striving to promote international co-operation in bilateral and multilateral frameworks, he added.

Ito Yusuke, deputy head of the Minerals and Mining Department under the Japanese Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, said that Japan aspires to maintain its co-operation with ASEAN countries to promote the development of the mineral industry in line with specific characteristics of each respective country.

During the course of the meeting, with the development of a new co-operation plan for the 2022 to 2025 period, participating countries showed their commitment to pursuing policy improvements in the mineral value chain and sustainable mineral governance. This is in order to build an effective ASEAN mineral database to facilitate investment in mineral exploration and development throughout the region.