Prime Minister proposes Japan - ASEAN to promote economic ties

Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders attending the ASEAN - Japan Summit. Photo: VGP

On the afternoon of October 26, continuing the series of ASEAN Summits with Partners in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, along with ASEAN leaders and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae attended the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit.

ASEAN leaders stressed that Japan is one of ASEAN's oldest and most trusted partners. The two sides' cooperation has developed extensively and dynamically, becoming a model of a substantive and mutually beneficial Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the region.

Japan is also currently ASEAN's fourth-largest trading partner and fifth-largest foreign direct investor, with two-way trade turnover in 2024 reaching US$236.6 billion and total investment capital reaching US$17.5 billion.

Speaking at the conference, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae proposed further promoting specific areas of cooperation between ASEAN and Japan such as maritime security, cyber security, transnational crime prevention, building a secure, safe and reliable artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem, natural disaster prevention, promoting education and training, etc.

Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that in the context of the rapidly evolving and complex global and regional situation, the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership needs to transform strongly, “from heart to heart”, “from action to action”, “from emotion to effectiveness”. Accordingly, the Prime Minister proposed three focuses of cooperation.

The Prime Minister suggested that the two sides promote economic ties towards green, inclusive and comprehensive transformation in the digital age, along with promptly upgrading the Free Trade Agreement, prioritizing cooperation in digital economy, green economy, sustainable supply chains and soon completing the General Aviation Agreement.

Promote cooperation in education, training, health, science and technology development and environmental protection to narrow the development gap, especially in training high-quality human resources, applying digital technology and AI, as well as improving preventive medicine capacity, disease warning and response. At the same time, it is necessary to promote cultural exchanges imbued with national identity between ASEAN and Japan.

The Prime Minister also asked Japan to increase technology transfer and human resource training on nuclear power and nuclear safety for ASEAN countries.

Emphasizing cooperation in maintaining regional peace, security and stability, including peaceful settlement of disputes, including maritime disputes, in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for a prosperous, safe and sustainable future in the region, the Prime Minister affirmed that ASEAN is ready to play a constructive role, facilitating dialogue between relevant parties, including through ASEAN-led mechanisms, towards long-term peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

At the end of the conference, ASEAN and Japanese leaders adopted a Joint Statement on Promoting and Implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Laodong.vn

Source: https://laodong.vn/thoi-su/thu-tuong-de-nghi-nhat-ban-asean-day-manh-lien-ket-kinh-te-1598563.ldo