Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang: Vietnam commits to leading sustainable regional cooperation

(Chinhphu.vn) - At the OECD 2025 Ministerial Conference in Paris, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang emphasized Vietnam's role as Co-Chair of the OECD Southeast Asia Program (SEARP), affirming Vietnam's commitment to regional cooperation, green development and ASEAN-OECD digital transformation.

SEARP Co-Chairmanship Transfer Ceremony

Vietnam and Australia lead SEARP through global turmoil

Within the framework of the 2025 OECD Council of Ministers Meeting held in Paris, the handover event of the role of Co-Chair of the Southeast Asia Program (SEARP) officially took place.

Opening the SEARP Co-Chairmanship Transfer Ceremony, Mr. Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary General, affirmed SEARP's role in connecting OECD with ASEAN - the most dynamic region in the world .

Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang represented Vietnam in attending, marking the end of the SEARP co-chairmanship term 2022–2025 between Vietnam and Australia, and handing over to Canada and the Philippines.

Since the beginning of their tenure, Vietnam and Australia have actively coordinated SEARP in the context of many intertwined challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, supply chain disruptions, and global economic and political instability have been major impacts on the Southeast Asian region. However, with their proactiveness and commitment to close cooperation, the two co-chair countries have developed SEARP into a comprehensive and substantive cooperation program.

According to Minister Nguyen Van Thang, Vietnam and Australia have played a key role in making SEARP a strong connection platform between OECD and ASEAN, two of the most influential economic blocs in the world.

Expanding SEARP not only enables ASEAN countries to learn from OECD experiences but also spreads the value of inclusive growth, green transformation and digitalization across the region.

Minister Nguyen Van Thang emphasized Vietnam’s proactive and creative role in developing concrete cooperation proposals – called Prospectus. These plans have actively supported Southeast Asian countries in their economic reform and innovation and in enhancing their internal capacity. As a result, SEARP is not only a technical program, but also a policy tool for long-term growth.

The activities of the Minister of Finance at OECD 2025 once again demonstrate Vietnam's leading role, proactiveness, positivity and responsibility in multilateral cooperation mechanisms, as well as Vietnam's commitment to sustainable, inclusive economic growth and prosperity in the region and globally.

Regional cooperation and commitment to lead for sustainable development

In his speech at the handover ceremony, Minister Nguyen Van Thang not only reviewed the outstanding results of his past term as co-chair but also sent a message about a future of increasingly effective and sustainable cooperation between OECD and ASEAN.

Specifically, the head of Vietnam's financial sector emphasized three outstanding results in the 2022-2025 term.

Firstly, Vietnam and Australia have promoted the successful signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between OECD and ASEAN, thereby establishing a legal framework, a mechanism for coordination of actions, enhancing data sharing and training high-quality human resources.

Second, the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum, held for the first time in Hanoi in 2022, made a strong impression. From a single event, the forum has developed into an annual ministerial dialogue mechanism, connecting ASEAN economies and the OECD in a substantive manner.

Third, specific cooperation plans (Prospectus) in the fields of digital transformation, inclusive growth, economic resilience and green transformation have been systematically developed and implemented. These initiatives have been highly appreciated by the international community, contributing to promoting the adaptive capacity of Southeast Asian economies in an era of many changes.

"Vietnam is proud to have worked with its partners to make SEARP a pillar of regional cooperation with a long-term, practical and substantive vision. During its leadership of SEARP, Vietnam has always demonstrated a positive, responsible and creative role, which has contributed to making the OECD-ASEAN relationship increasingly closer," Minister Nguyen Van Thang affirmed.

Also at the conference, the Ministry of Finance leaders expressed their thanks to OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann, OECD member countries and especially Australia, a partner that has always accompanied Vietnam in all initiatives. Minister Nguyen Van Thang congratulated Canada and the Philippines on taking on the role of SEARP Co-Chairs for the new term, and pledged that Vietnam will continue to support and share experiences to build a prosperous and strong regional community.

Mr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary General of ASEAN, emphasized the role of SEARP in connecting ASEAN and OECD, promoting economic cooperation between ASEAN and OECD. After the speech, the handover ceremony of SEARP Co-Chair logo was held, along with a souvenir photo ceremony with the participation of Ministers and senior leaders from Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.

The activities of the Minister of Finance at OECD 2025 once again demonstrate Vietnam's leading role, proactiveness, positivity and responsibility in multilateral cooperation mechanisms, as well as Vietnam's commitment to sustainable, inclusive economic growth and prosperity in the region and globally.

Mr. Minh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/bo-truong-tai-chinh-nguyen-van-thang-viet-nam-cam-ket-dan-dat-hop-tac-khu-vuc-ben-vung-1022506041732414.htm