View of the 43rd ASEAN Summit Plenary Session.
Reporting on ASEAN cooperation over the past year, ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn said that the region's economic growth momentum has been maintained with a positive forecast of 4.6% in 2023 and 4.9% in 2024. ASEAN's trade recorded an impressive growth of nearly 15%, reaching 3,800 billion USD. Investment reached a record high of more than 224 billion USD.
However, the regional economy still has potential risks and is directly affected by geopolitical tensions, climate change, energy security, food security, etc. In that situation, ASEAN is making strong shifts towards digitalization and sustainable development, improving the region's competitiveness and consolidating its role as an important link in the global value chain.
Speaking at the plenary session, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva and President of the World Bank (WB) Ajay Banga shared that in the context of the global economy still facing many difficulties, ASEAN is a bright spot with optimistic prospects in the future; emphasizing that to realize the core of growth, ASEAN needs to promote economic restructuring reforms, remove trade and investment barriers, focus on investing in human development througheducation , health, equitable development, and promote sustainable growth. In the face of increasing geopolitical competition, will, solidarity, cooperation and trust continue to be the sustainable values of multilateralism, to overcome all obstacles of fragmentation and division.
The trends of the times require ASEAN to innovate in thinking, be creative in action and make breakthroughs in ideas to be able to make the most of new economic growth drivers such as digital economy, blue economy, green transformation, and sustainable development. In that spirit, the Leaders discussed and acknowledged the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 with consistent orientations to build a Resilient, Dynamic, Creative and People-Centered ASEAN, establishing a strategic framework for stronger development and breakthroughs of ASEAN in the next 20 years.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the plenary session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit.
At the plenary session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared his general assessment of a volatile year 2023. The world economy has shown more positive signs of recovery, but there are still many risks, growth is not sustainable, trade recovery is slow, and geopolitical instability is increasingly complex.
In that context, with the joint efforts and solidarity of member countries and the leadership of the Indonesian Chair, the ASEAN Community continues to develop steadily and firmly with an increasingly strong "stature", affirming its role as the center of growth.
ASEAN continues to be a bright spot in economic growth, the center of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) networks and the center of important regional cooperation mechanisms such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit (EAS)...
The Prime Minister also asked ASEAN Economic Ministers to resolutely direct the review, upgrading and negotiation of new FTAs between ASEAN and its partners, in order to create new development momentum for the regional economy.
The Prime Minister said that ASEAN needs to identify that ensuring peace and security in the region is first and foremost the responsibility and effort of ASEAN itself. To do so, ASEAN member countries must uphold the spirit of solidarity, independence, self-reliance and self-reliance; and this spirit must be demonstrated in both words and actions. Only then can ASEAN's role be truly promoted and receive practical respect from its partners, especially major countries.
ASEAN welcomes partners to participate in regional cooperation, support ASEAN and respond to common challenges together with ASEAN. In the face of increasing friction and strategic competition among major countries, the Prime Minister especially emphasized that ASEAN needs to demonstrate steadfastness and solidarity so that partners respect ASEAN's central role, dialogue and cooperation in good faith, and comply with the principles and principles set forth by ASEAN mechanisms.
Aiming for an ASEAN with equal and sustainable development, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the core spirit of ASEAN with “people as the center, the goal and the driving force of the Community building process” to continue narrowing the development gap within ASEAN, especially in remote and isolated areas and sub-regions. The Prime Minister highly appreciated the initiatives of the Indonesian Chair to promote the digital economy, blue economy, food security, building an electric vehicle ecosystem and sustainable self-reliance, considering these as proactive and creative steps of ASEAN to serve the practical interests of the people.
In that spirit, the Prime Minister announced that Vietnam will host the ASEAN Future Forum on rapid, sustainable, people-centered development, to complement ASEAN's official forums and mechanisms, creating opportunities for broad exchange of ideas and initiatives for regional cooperation, contributing to building a resilient and sustainable ASEAN Community.
On this occasion, the leaders adopted many important documents such as the Declaration on Inclusive Development for Persons with Disabilities, Family Development and Gender Equality, Enhancing Food Security, Preschool Care and Education, Framework on the ASEAN Public Health Emergency Coordination System, etc., contributing to strengthening efforts to build a people-oriented and people-centered Community.
* On the same afternoon, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will join leaders of ASEAN countries and partners in attending the opening session of the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum. This is an initiative of Indonesia during its ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2023, with the aim of unlocking potential and opportunities to enhance cooperation and connectivity for ASEAN countries and the Indo-Pacific region.
APIF is an inclusive forum for representatives of ASEAN countries and partners, from both the public and private sectors, to discuss and develop strategic cooperation directions for the future, focusing on three main topics: (i) green infrastructure and resilient supply chains, (ii) digital transformation and creative economy, and (iii) sustainable finance and innovation. Within the framework of the forum, there will be an exhibition of specific projects nominated by ASEAN countries to contribute to the development of the Indo-Pacific region as well as the economic growth potential of the region.
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