Vietnam will continue to contribute with the highest sense of responsibility to promote APEC cooperation.

Before President Luong Cuong's working trip to attend the APEC 2025 Summit Week and bilateral work in Korea, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang gave an interview to the Vietnamese press.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang. Photo: VNA

Deputy Minister, what is the significance of APEC Year 2025 and Vietnam's expectations for this year's Summit Week?

Over the past three decades of formation and development, the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum has become the leading economic cooperation and linkage mechanism in the region, with 21 member economies, 3/5 of the world's leading economies, accounting for 46% of global trade and 61% of global GDP. The APEC Summit Week 2025 takes place in the context of rapid and complex geopolitical and geo-economic fluctuations, global trade facing many challenges, the world is in a period of profound and turning point transformation. In that context, the APEC Summit Week 2025 is of special importance to maintain and strengthen the spirit of dialogue and cooperation, promote trade, investment, economic linkage, thereby maintaining growth recovery momentum, responding to global challenges and shaping the future development of the region based on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

With the theme “Building a Sustainable Future” and three priorities “Connectivity”, “Innovation” and “Prosperity”, the 32nd APEC Summit received great attention and expectations from APEC members and the international community.

Firstly, with the participation of senior leaders of 21 APEC member economies, the Conference is of great significance in promoting high-level dialogue on major issues facing the global economy, trade and development. Promoting dialogue, cooperation and jointly solving common challenges is extremely necessary for peace , stability and development of the region and the world in the current period. High-level contacts between APEC leaders on this occasion are also expected to create progress in solving economic and trade issues, thereby creating a favorable international environment to promote stable trade and investment flows, sustainable growth, self-reliance and inclusiveness in the region and the world.

Second, the international community expects this year's Summit to create frameworks for extensive cooperation within APEC in the fields of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI). This is a high priority for current members to maximize opportunities and minimize risks from the development of AI. The Summit is also an opportunity for members to promote cooperation, address issues such as population aging, promote new growth drivers, develop science and technology, creative economy, cultural industry, etc.

Third, promoting APEC's strength in connecting the Government with businesses, with the participation of thousands of leading corporations in the region, this APEC High-Level Week is expected to create new driving forces to promote public-private cooperation to mobilize maximum resources to serve the digital transformation, green transformation, energy transformation, strategic infrastructure development, and economic connectivity, thereby contributing to promoting the transformation of the growth model of member economies.

Vietnam expects and believes that, under the chairmanship of the Republic of Korea, the positive results of APEC 2025 will contribute to continuing to maintain the role as a driving force for economic growth and connectivity that the APEC Forum has affirmed over the past decades, while promoting APEC's pioneering role in the current era of technology and innovation.

Deputy Minister, please tell us about the meaning and purpose of President Luong Cuong's working trip to attend the APEC 2025 Summit Week and bilateral work in Korea?

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae-myung, President Luong Cuong will lead a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to attend the 32nd APEC Summit Week and hold bilateral meetings in the Republic of Korea from October 29 to November 1, 2025.

At this year's APEC Summit, with the position of one of the economies with the highest growth rate in the region, with an increasingly increasing role and international position, firmly and enthusiastically entering a new era of development, especially with the role of the country honored to host APEC for the third time in 2027, Vietnam will continue to contribute with the highest sense of responsibility to promote APEC cooperation, promote multilateralism, and act together for peace, stability, sustainable development and prosperity of the region and the world. With that spirit, the working trip of President Luong Cuong is extremely important in many aspects.

Firstly, the President's participation in the APEC Summit Week is an important step in implementing the foreign policy and major policies and decisions of the Party and State, especially Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation, continuing to make a shift in thinking and new approaches to international integration, from "receiving" thinking to "contributing" thinking, from integration to deep and comprehensive integration, from the position of a lagging economy to an emerging economy, pioneering in many new fields. The President will discuss with APEC leaders major issues related to cooperation and development, agree on orientations to promote trade, investment, connectivity, science and technology, green transformation, digital transformation and many other important fields.

Second, President Luong Cuong will have activities to interact with many leaders of APEC economies, meet with leaders of the world's leading corporations and businesses, thereby contributing to deepening bilateral relations with partners, mobilizing resources to serve the country's socio-economic development goals.

In particular, the President will attend, dialogue and deliver an important speech at the APEC CEO Summit 2025 with the participation of nearly 2,000 leaders of leading corporations in the region to convey a strong message about Vietnam's potential, advantages, decisions and strategic breakthroughs. Thereby, helping international friends continue to accompany, support and stand side by side with us in the new development stage, especially mobilizing financial and technological resources... to serve the goal of transforming the growth model, promoting innovation, green transformation and digital transformation.

Third, on the bilateral level, Korea is Vietnam's leading economic partner and in the context of the Vietnam-Korea relationship developing very well, President Luong Cuong's working visit is an opportunity for the two sides to continue to consolidate and deepen the foundation of good political relations, promote the effective implementation of high-level commitments and agreements reached in recent times, and bring the good cooperation between the two countries to contribute more substantially and effectively to the development of each country in the current important development stage.

I believe that President Luong Cuong's working trip to attend the APEC 2025 Summit Week and bilateral meetings in the Republic of Korea will be a great success, contributing to continuing to affirm the image of a confident, self-reliant and resilient Vietnam entering a new era of development, contributing more responsibly and effectively to common issues of humanity, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Thank you very much, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang!

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/viet-nam-se-tiep-tuc-dong-gop-voi-tinh-than-trach-nhiem-cao-nhat-nham-thuc-day-hop-tac-apec-20251028203819210.htm