The success of investors is also the success of Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at ASEAN BIS 2023 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

ASEAN BIS is the largest annual business-related forum in Southeast Asia, held within the framework of the ASEAN Summit; with the participation of heads of state of ASEAN countries and partner countries; ministers, senior officials, policy makers and leaders of large and prestigious businesses of ASEAN and the world .

This year’s conference was attended by representatives of more than 2,000 ASEAN and international businesses, including more than 50 Vietnamese businesses registered to attend in person and online. The conference attracted more than 100 international speakers, including leaders of many ASEAN countries and partner countries.

With the theme: "ASEAN at its core: Innovating for greater inclusion", ASEAN BIS 2023 focuses on discussing five main topics including: Digital transformation and sustainable development; food security; healthcare ; ensuring business operations; and trade and investment facilitation.

According to the Prime Minister, ASEAN faces the mission of affirming itself as "a pole in a multipolar world" - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Speaking at the Conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed and highly appreciated the efforts of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) in organizing the Conference.

Over the years, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit has played a major role as the largest business forum in the region to conduct public-private dialogue, propose strategies and solutions to overcome challenges, and bring long-term benefits to businesses and people in the region.

Sharing with delegates, the Prime Minister stated that in recent times, the world has undergone many rapid, complex, and unpredictable changes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts, causing "headwinds" to the world economy and the economies of countries. Therefore, it is necessary to identify that the situation always has difficulties and challenges intertwined with opportunities and advantages, but difficulties and challenges are greater.

Emphasizing the viewpoint that "resources come from thinking, motivation comes from innovation, innovation comes from culture, strength comes from people", the Prime Minister said that ASEAN has all of these fundamental elements.

According to the Prime Minister, the multipolar world situation is an inevitable trend, the strategic competition of major powers is increasingly fierce, the trend of fragmentation and gathering of forces is increasingly clear. ASEAN faces the mission of affirming "being a pole in a multipolar world", being the center of cooperation as well as structure in the region, and ASEAN is fully capable of undertaking that mission.

The Prime Minister emphasized a number of strategic orientations so that ASEAN can continue to promote its role and position - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Further analyzing this content, the Prime Minister stated that, firstly, ASEAN has a wide open economic space with a network of 8 free trade agreements (FTAs) including the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and 7 FTAs ​​with important partners, of which the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) creates a free trade area accounting for 30% of the world's population (with over 688 million people) and 32% of global GDP (over 3,600 billion USD in 2022).

Second, many new initiatives are also being strongly promoted so that ASEAN can promptly grasp and take advantage of opportunities from new development trends such as building the ASEAN Digital Economic Framework Agreement, Circular Economic Framework, Blue Economic Framework, Carbon Neutral Strategy, etc.; negotiating to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, the Free Trade Agreement between ASEAN and China, Korea, Japan, India, etc.

Third, ASEAN is independent and self-reliant; a bright spot in economic growth (in 2022, it will reach 5.6% compared to global growth of only about 2.9%; in 2023, it is forecast to reach 4.5%, higher than the growth rate forecast for developed countries); enhancing intra-bloc trade and investment (intra-bloc trade will reach over 856 billion USD, accounting for about 22% of ASEAN's total trade turnover; intra-bloc investment will reach nearly 27 billion USD, accounting for about 12% of the region's total FDI); effectively responding to challenges in energy security and food security; steadily overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic...

Fourth, ASEAN plays an important role in regional cooperation mechanisms through relations and cooperation with external partners. Through mechanisms such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit (EAS), etc., ASEAN countries have created and maintained balanced and flexible relations with ASEAN's external partners. There are 43 countries participating in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia.

In order for ASEAN to continue to promote its role and position and take advantage of and seize opportunities from the current world order, the Prime Minister emphasized a number of strategic orientations.

Accordingly, ASEAN needs to consolidate and strengthen internal solidarity, maintain ASEAN's common principles, stances and views; and maintain strategic balance in relations between ASEAN and its partners.

ASEAN needs to maintain its long-term commitment to open markets, promote trade and investment; always open the door to investors, creative ideas and talents. Continue to strongly promote free trade agreements, regional and global economic integration.

The Prime Minister said that the government and businesses need to cooperate more closely, effectively and substantially - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

ASEAN needs to deepen regional integration to better exploit each other's strengths to seize opportunities in the new global economy, especially new growth drivers such as digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, and sharing economy.

At the same time, do not sacrifice fairness, social progress, social security and environmental protection in exchange for mere economic growth. Resolutely take a global, all-people approach to global, all-people issues and in the process of building the ASEAN community, take the people as the center, subject, goal and driving force of development.

To further promote the role of enterprises in promoting growth and creating new breakthroughs for ASEAN, the Prime Minister said that the government and enterprises need to cooperate more closely, effectively and substantially.

Accordingly, it is necessary to work together to perfect institutions through standardizing and harmonizing investment and business regulations in ASEAN, simplifying procedures through digital transformation; encouraging and respecting the voice of businesses to promptly remove newly arising obstacles.

Second, join hands to develop strategic infrastructure to connect the economy, including hard infrastructure for transportation, energy, digital transformation infrastructure, green development, etc.

Third, together build high-quality human resources, especially in the fields of digital transformation, green transformation, high technology, promote innovation, and develop human resources.

"The above issues need to be coordinated at all three levels: between government and government to harmonize policies, between businesses and businesses to synchronize implementation, and between government and businesses," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister called on businesses to promote solidarity and contribute to building a self-reliant and developed ASEAN - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The Prime Minister hopes that businesses will take the lead in innovation, increase labor productivity, harmoniously combine production and business with research and development; promote their role and responsibility to the community and society, especially in remote, border and island areas so that no one is left behind; improve business capacity and ethics, build a healthy, equal and sustainable business environment; comply with the law, develop corporate culture and promote cultural development on par with the economy and society, contributing to building an ASEAN culture with strong identity; unite, share and support with the spirit of "I have you in me, you have me in you".

The Prime Minister affirmed that as a reliable partner and an active and responsible member, Vietnam will continue to closely coordinate with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries to strive to build a united, united, self-reliant and developed ASEAN, contributing to maintaining an environment of peace, stability, cooperation and common development in the region and the world.

The Prime Minister called on businesses to promote the spirit of solidarity, contribute to building a self-reliant and developed ASEAN, improve the material and spiritual life of the people, bring practical benefits to the people and the ASEAN Community as well as the businesses themselves. For its part, Vietnam always creates the most favorable conditions for investors with the spirit that the success of investors is the success of Vietnam, "harmonious benefits, shared risks".

"We have united to overcome difficulties. We are united in diversity. We respect differences but support and complement each other to develop together. Therefore, I firmly believe that we will succeed and become more and more successful, as our great President Ho Chi Minh said: "Unity, unity, great unity/Success, success, great success"," the Prime Minister said.

Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/thu-tuong-chinh-phu-pham-minh-chinh-thanh-cong-cua-nha-dau-tu-cung-la-thanh-cong-cua-viet-nam-362771.html