ASEAN together steers towards a shared future.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and heads of delegations attending the closed-door session of the 48th ASEAN Summit - Photo: VNA

The Philippines assumes the ASEAN chairmanship in 2026 with the theme "Together We Saddle Our Future" and three key priorities: pillars of peace and security, corridors of prosperity, and people-to-people empowerment. We believe ASEAN remains a vital institution in the region.

Based on ASEAN's three pillars, the association is fully capable of sustaining the economic growth and development of its member countries through cooperation and mutual assistance, while contributing to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu will witness a special moment. ASEAN leaders are expected to adopt the Cebu Protocol amending the ASEAN Charter – the document that officially formalizes the admission of Timor Leste as the bloc's newest member.

For the first time in history, ASEAN will have 11 heads of state/ government sitting at the same negotiating table, with Timor Leste participating as a full member.

From the beginning of the year, ASEAN foreign ministers have been discussing ongoing conflicts around the world and their impact on Southeast Asia.

Given the implications for economic growth and development, ASEAN leaders are expected to seek areas of cooperation to sustain growth momentum.

Among the initiatives the Philippines submitted to ASEAN leaders for consideration, noteworthy is the proposal to establish an ASEAN Maritime Centre and a permanent forum for regional coast guard officials to meet and cooperate.

We believe that in Southeast Asia, the seas surrounding each country are not barriers, but bridges connecting the nations.

Therefore, the ASEAN Maritime Centre and the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum will be channels for member states to jointly build that "water bridge".

In addition, leveraging its strengths in the field of migration, the Philippines will propose that the conference adopt the ASEAN Guidelines Checklist on the Effective Repatriation and Reintegration of Migrant Workers.

We believe these initiatives will receive support from Vietnam and other member countries.

ASEAN's central role lies at the core of its programs. Regional forums—from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), the expanded ADMM, to numerous other economic and trade forums—are all built on this principle. The Philippines' chairmanship will further promote that central role.

All discussions during this term have focused on promoting and strengthening the three pillars of ASEAN: the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community, and the Socio-Cultural Community.

The Philippines is not conducting these discussions in isolation, but is building upon Malaysia's chairmanship in 2025. We are confident that we will continue to contribute to meaningful exchanges when Singapore assumes the chairmanship in 2027.

Given its remarkable economic achievements over the past several years, Vietnam's contribution to this discussion will undoubtedly be valuable.

In the field of international law, Vietnam consistently upholds multilateralism, the rule of law, and promotes international law. These are two areas where the Philippines expects further contributions from Vietnam.

Forecasts for ASEAN during the Philippines' chairmanship year and subsequent chairmanship terms remain favorable.

With Vietnam's active participation, particularly in addressing trade and economic development challenges, we hope that the ASEAN conferences held in the Philippines will contribute to maintaining ASEAN's role in the evolving political architecture of the Indo-Pacific region, in line with the ASEAN Vision on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/asean-cung-cheo-lai-tuong-lai-chung-20260509082525028.htm