The seminar was attended by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Foreign Minister of Brunei; Lao Minister of Industry and Trade; ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn; representatives of ASEAN associations, businesses, investors and partners.
Discussion with ASEAN businesses and partners on the theme “ASEAN business community, cohesive, resilient and sustainable: Seizing opportunities in the digital age”. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
ASEAN is not out of the global trend
Opening the discussion, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said that digital transformation is taking place strongly not only in the region but also around the world, taking place in all aspects of social life. Therefore, there needs to be closer cooperation between entities, including coordination between businesses, the private sector with governments of countries and between countries. Thereby, maximizing the benefits, while at the same time minimizing and overcoming the challenges brought about by digital technology .
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said that as the ASEAN Chair in 2024, Laos is promoting the development of e-Government, digital economy and digital society. Laos is also building policy frameworks, promoting digital transformation in ASEAN, thereby promoting cooperation, maximizing the benefits of digital technology, turning ASEAN into a highly competitive entity, effectively responding to challenges.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone attend the Dialogue with ASEAN businesses and partners. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
At the seminar, leaders of ASEAN businesses, ASEAN leaders and partner countries discussed enthusiastically about opportunities and challenges in ASEAN's digital economic cooperation; solutions to promote cooperation between ASEAN and partners in digital economic development; recommendations for the formation of an ASEAN digital economic ecosystem; requirements for e-commerce development in ASEAN today; and promoting the development of semiconductor supply chains in the ASEAN region.
Delegates also discussed the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in corporate governance and proposed cooperation with ASEAN countries; digital transformation in the information sector; cooperation in building high-quality digital human resources; improving the investment environment to attract high-tech investment, etc.
Google Asia Pacific President Scott Beaumont said that ASEAN is a developing region that is a living testament to integration and connectivity. Google is honored to contribute to the digital transformation process and narrow the digital gap in ASEAN. Along with developing platforms and applications in the digital environment, in Vietnam, Google is cooperating to train technology human resources, especially human resources in the field of AI, providing resources, building big data sources, etc.
Given that ASEAN’s digital economic potential can double today, to do so, ASEAN needs to invest in infrastructure, train human resources, invest in research and development, build data centers, especially national data. Along with that, ASEAN countries need to ensure a strong enough legal environment, ensuring that investors achieve their goals…
ASEAN business leaders and partners attend the Dialogue. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
Vietjet Air General Director Dinh Viet Phuong said that with the strong development trend of AI application, the airline has deployed many solutions on the AI platform to help change the operations of the aviation industry. Vietjet has invested in researching and developing new technology projects, building the Galaxy Innovation Hub Technology Center which is attracting many leading businesses and corporations in the world.
Mr. Dinh Viet Phuong, General Director of Vietjet Air, presented on the application of artificial intelligence in business management and proposed cooperation with ASEAN countries. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA
Mr. Dinh Viet Phuong proposed to strengthen multilateral cooperation and create an environment for sharing resources and technology between governments and businesses; develop technology incubators, research and development, especially in AI; have solutions to ensure network security and data protection in the ASEAN business community; hope that governments of countries will expand opportunities for businesses to invest in production and business in the open and sustainably developing ASEAN common market.
Mr. Takeo Nakajima, Chief Representative of the Japan Trade and Investment Promotion Organization in Hanoi, reviewed the cooperation and investment process in Vietnam and ASEAN; said that to attract investment in the high-tech sector, countries need to continue to improve the policy framework; build and complete synchronous infrastructure, especially high-quality digital infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters and has high data transmission speed; build laboratories, testing areas, information centers; have policies to support the purchase of high-tech machinery; there needs to be cooperation between academia, research and businesses; protect copyrights of products; invest in developing businesses large enough to receive large investment projects from outside...
Making ASEAN a Model for Global Digital Transformation
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the Dialogue with ASEAN businesses and partners. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
Speaking at the seminar, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated many profound, dedicated, constructive and practical opinions, clearly demonstrating the delegates' interest and desire to promote ASEAN's digital economic future.
Considering that in today's world, along with green transformation, digital transformation has become an inevitable trend, a new growth driver for rapid and sustainable development, for the prosperous future of ASEAN, the region and the world, with the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2025, ASEAN has agreed on a comprehensive, strategic approach to promote comprehensive digital transformation - considering this a key driving force for inclusive and sustainable economic development.
According to the Prime Minister, ASEAN's digital economic development is driven by favorable factors: important geo-strategic and geo-economic location; large consumer market, young population structure, growing middle class; rapid economic recovery; extensive economic cooperation and connectivity network; ASEAN's digital economic ecosystem is developing strongly.
The Prime Minister said that Vietnam has identified national digital transformation and digital economic development based on science, technology, and innovation as a strategic development orientation until 2030; with the consistent viewpoint in the National Strategy for Digital Economic and Digital Society Development, people and businesses are the center, subject, goal, driving force, and important resource of digital transformation.
Thereby, Vietnam has achieved many important achievements in digital transformation such as: digital economic growth rate reaching an average of 20%/year; completing the construction of the National Population Database; over 80% of people using Internet services...
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the Dialogue with ASEAN businesses and partners. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
Vietnam hopes that the ASEAN business community, investors and partners will strengthen cooperation, accompany and support the promotion of priority areas in digital economic development, including: Developing the information technology and communications industry; promoting digitalization of industries and fields associated with the application of science and technology, innovation; improving digital governance capacity, developing digital data; supporting Vietnam in finance, institutional improvement, human resource training, technology transfer and infrastructure development.
Expressing his belief in ASEAN's potential and strengths; the determination and consensus of the Government, business community and people; and the close cooperation and connection of regional and international partners towards a digital ASEAN Community in the near future, the Prime Minister proposed three breakthrough orientations to turn ASEAN into a model in digital transformation globally.
In particular, promoting equal access to digital transformation and digital economy on the principle of "harmonized benefits and shared risks", ensuring transparency, safety, inclusiveness and sustainability, so that all people, businesses and communities can participate and enjoy the results; strongly promoting ASEAN's self-reliance, self-reliance and autonomy in digital transformation, based on the specific factors, potentials and advantages of each country, urgently completing the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Digital Economy, ensuring focus, key points, substance and effectiveness.
Along with that, promote a global, all-people, comprehensive approach in developing ASEAN's digital economy; implement according to the roadmap and have synchronous steps, suitable to the capacity of each country; at the same time, focus on solving common, global issues that affect the entire population such as pressure to shift labor structure, cyber security, cyber crime, the negative side of artificial intelligence...; do not leave anyone behind in the digitalization process.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also suggested that ASEAN countries, partners, business communities and partners strengthen cooperation in digital transformation to contribute to renewing traditional growth drivers; at the same time, strongly promote digitalization associated with the application of science and technology in industries and fields to create new growth drivers.
Representatives of ministries and branches attended the Dialogue. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.
The parties promote cooperation, support in financial resources, knowledge, technology transfer, and training of digital human resources so that ASEAN and Vietnam can participate more deeply in frameworks, mechanisms, and supply chains on digital transformation in the region and the world; focus on building common standards, criteria, and regulations on digital transformation on a global scale; strengthen cooperation to improve digital governance capacity, protect consumers, ensure information security, network security, and data security.
Believing that digital transformation is not only about technology but also a profound change that is global, all-people, and comprehensive, the Prime Minister believes that the business community of ASEAN and partner countries will seize opportunities, overcome challenges, strive to unite, be self-reliant, self-reliant, and self-reliant, continue to affirm its pioneering role in digital transformation, and make important contributions to the rapid, sustainable, and inclusive development of each ASEAN member country, the region, and the world.
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