Solidarity, self-reliance, creating combined strength for ASEAN

After the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits.

View of the plenary session of the 47th ASEAN Summit. (Photo: Nhat Bac/VGP)

What is special is that accompanying the Prime Minister on the plane is United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

This visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh can be considered as an “ASEAN Foreign Affairs Summit”, with a dense program of Summits between ASEAN and major partners. During the 3 days of the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a very busy schedule, continuously attending Summits and having dozens of bilateral meetings a day.

Given the importance of the event, the host country Malaysia mobilized a large force of nearly 10,200 police and security personnel to protect the events with many modern vehicles and equipment, high-tech surveillance systems to protect both in the air and cyberspace. Security in the capital Kuala Lumpur was tightened to the highest level, especially at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) - where the summits took place and the hotels where the participating delegations stayed.

Before the opening session of the 47th ASEAN Summit and related Summits, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warmly welcomed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Heads of Delegations.

During the discussion, the leaders emphasized that ASEAN needs to maintain solidarity, self-reliance, promote its central and leading role to continue contributing to peace and stability in the region; address challenges related to climate change, and enhance the region's resilience; at the same time, ASEAN needs to continue to deepen existing partnerships, actively consider and expand relations with new partners. In the international arena, ASEAN needs to continue to promote multilateralism, affirm the role of regional mechanisms in promoting dialogue, cooperation, and building trust, while promoting ASEAN's role, voice and common contributions in addressing global issues.

At this important forum, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that ASEAN strongly promote three sources of strategic strength: Strengthening solidarity and unity, thereby enhancing overall strength; promoting dynamic vitality, autonomy, self-reliance, consolidating intra-bloc connections; making efforts to create innovation and creativity, through urgently completing new cooperation frameworks...

The comments of the Vietnamese Government leader were assessed by the leaders of ASEAN countries as sharing very responsibly and correctly about the current situation as well as providing appropriate directions, going straight to the core issues that ASEAN needs to solve. The Prime Minister raised important areas related to political cooperation, strengthening solidarity within the bloc, cooperation mechanisms in new economic fields such as energy transition, science and technology, innovation, improving people's lives, etc.

At the Summits between ASEAN and its partners, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented many initiatives and orientations of practical value, such as those related to digital transformation, innovation, support for free trade, upholding multilateralism, promoting an open, inclusive, transparent, and rule-based regional order, etc.; or the issue of upgrading the partnership between ASEAN and a number of countries, which were highly appreciated by leaders and heads of state.

During the bilateral meetings between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the US President, Prime Ministers of China, Japan, Australia, leaders of organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Council, etc., leaders of countries and international organizations highly appreciated Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic development, foreign affairs, and international position; felt more clearly about a dynamic Vietnam, reaching out to enter a new era; and at the same time wished to further strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in many fields.

In an interview with the Vietnamese press at the Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim assessed Vietnam as a member playing a very active and important role in the ASEAN Community as well as for the success of this Summit. He said that Malaysia has witnessed the development of the agreements signed by the parties and also seen the impressive economic growth of Vietnam. He suggested that Vietnam and Malaysia need to strengthen cooperation more strongly to develop this relationship.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended one of the particularly important events, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 with the theme "Unified Market - Towards Shared Prosperity" - one of the largest business forums in Asia in 2025.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended one of the most important events, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 with the theme "Unified Market - Towards Shared Prosperity" - one of the largest business forums in Asia in 2025. At the forum, the international community assessed that in recent years, Vietnam has emerged as one of the most dynamic growth engines in Asia. Despite the volatile global context, geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, and falling global demand, Vietnam has maintained impressive growth, underpinned by solid economic policies, open trade and a strong reform agenda.

Responding to questions from the Program Coordinator, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared that what the world admires about ASEAN is the principle of solidarity, unity in diversity, the spirit of self-reliance, the role of the growth focal point, the goal of inclusive development, placing people at the center, the subject, the resource, and the driving force of development; therefore, it is necessary to continue promoting the central role of ASEAN, placing ASEAN's role in the world as a whole, and then based on ASEAN's specific conditions to determine guidelines, visions, actions and coordination between economies in a way that is appropriate to reality.

The Prime Minister said that when the global supply chain is broken, ASEAN countries must strengthen the connection of the intra-bloc supply chain. When the policies of foreign countries cause impacts and influences, ASEAN countries must improve their self-reliance, support and increase the opening of their economies to compensate for the impacts and damages.

HA THANH GIANG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/doan-ket-tu-cuong-tao-suc-manh-tong-hop-cho-asean-post918829.html