Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the 5th RCEP Summit

According to a special correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency, within the framework of the 47th ASEAN Summit and related Summits taking place in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) on October 27, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of ASEAN countries and partners (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China) attended the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - the host country - the ASEAN Chair 2025.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, ASEAN Chair 2025, speaks. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

This is the first RCEP Summit since the RCEP Agreement was signed in November 2020 (Vietnam's ASEAN Chairmanship year 2020) and took full effect from June 2, 2023, creating an opportunity for leaders of countries to discuss the world economic situation and regional cooperation within the framework of the agreement and discuss strategic directions for the next phase to enhance full and effective implementation of the agreement, as well as promote the process of admitting new members and preparing for the overall review of the RCEP Agreement in 2027.

Speaking at the Conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed and highly appreciated the efforts of ASEAN Chair 2025 Malaysia and member countries in organizing this meaningful Summit; emphasizing that the organization of the Conference demonstrates the strong commitment of RCEP member countries in promoting deeper and more substantial regional integration, thereby helping economies effectively respond to emerging challenges.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the 5th RCEP Summit. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The Prime Minister also emphasized the role of the RCEP Agreement in economic development in the Asia-Pacific region, the clear benefits that the agreement brings in trade, investment and regional supply chains, creating a foundation for member countries to develop sustainably and improve competitiveness.

The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam supports and will continue to seriously and fully implement the commitments in the RCEP Agreement, and proactively and actively coordinate with members to expand and improve the quality of cooperation within the RCEP framework. Vietnam attaches importance to the RCEP Agreement, considering it a “bridge” to help economies with different levels of development share benefits, develop themselves and move towards common prosperity.

The Prime Minister stressed that Vietnam always supports the multilateral trade system, considers the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a pillar of a fair, transparent, and mutually beneficial trade order, and is ready to participate in the WTO reform process.

The 5th RCEP Summit. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The conference ended successfully and adopted the Joint Statement of the leaders on the RCEP Agreement, which affirmed the countries' support for ASEAN's central role and commitment to promoting open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and future-oriented regional economic integration.

The Joint Statement also reaffirmed the strong commitment of RCEP member countries to the multilateral trading system with the WTO as the foundation, which is open, transparent, fair and rules-based, ensuring predictability and non-discrimination among trading partners, and affirmed the central role of the RCEP Agreement in promoting regional economic integration, strengthening resilience and sustainable growth, especially in the context of global economic fluctuations and instability.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-du-hoi-nghi-cap-cao-rcep-lan-thu-5-20251027143122648.htm