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| Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son |
Reporter: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister, could you please tell us about the results of the ASEAN Summits and between ASEAN and its partners?
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son: With the theme “Promoting Connectivity and Resilience”, the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related Summits have been the focal events of the region in recent days, attracting the attention and follow-up of the international community.
The scale and success of the Conference can be outlined through the following impressive figures: nearly 20 activities, more than 30 ASEAN leaders and partners attending, about 90 documents adopted and recorded , more than 2,000 delegates and 1,000 journalists participating in the coverage.
The spirit of “connection” and “self-reliance” not only left a strong impression at these Conferences, but will continue to spread and develop more strongly in the future.
First, unleashing the power of self-reliance. The past six decades have witnessed an ASEAN that has always been resilient, overcoming many challenges together. The more difficult the situation, the more we see the spirit of solidarity and self-reliance in ASEAN. In the face of the current profound and complex movements, this is more important than ever.
“Self-reliance” in today’s context is reflected in ASEAN’s maintaining its principled stance, promoting its central role and asserting its position as the focal point in regional processes. “Self-reliance” today is also ASEAN’s ability to respond to the fierce emergence of many non-traditional security challenges and the ability to proactively adapt to new development trends.
In that spirit, ASEAN leaders and partners adopted many important documents such as the ASEAN Vision Statement on the Indo- Pacific towards a regional structure with ASEAN at the center, along with many Statements on specific areas of cooperation such as enhancing supply chain connectivity, sustainable agriculture, climate change response, biodiversity, etc.
Second, unlocking connectivity potential. Not only deepening intra-bloc connectivity, cooperation between ASEAN and its partners is increasingly expanding and deepening, especially in new and potential areas.
Promoting economic connectivity, ASEAN and its partners have affirmed that this is a key pillar in the relationship, promoting trade connectivity, facilitating trade and investment by adopting Statements such as the ASEAN+3 Summit Statement on enhancing connectivity of regional supply chains, the ASEAN-Canada Summit Joint Statement on ASEAN Connectivity and Resilience. On this occasion, the Leaders of ASEAN countries and China adopted a Statement on basically completing negotiations on the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) version 3.0. Negotiations on the ASEAN-Canada FTA are expected to be completed in 2025.
Leaders of ASEAN countries and partners also agreed to strengthen cooperation to effectively exploit new growth drivers such as digital transformation, green transformation, clean energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and electric vehicle ecosystems. Many important Declarations were adopted at these Summits demonstrating the strong commitment and determination of the countries, such as the ASEAN-India Declaration on Promoting Digital Transformation, the ASEAN-US Declaration on Promoting Safe, Secure and Trusted Artificial Intelligence, and the ASEAN-China Declaration on Cooperation to Build a Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Ecosystem.
People-to-people exchanges and connections are promoted, creating a foundation for strengthening friendship, understanding and growing ties between people of all countries. Partners from the United States, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Canada, etc. have committed to increasing the number of scholarships, student exchanges, capacity building training, and investment in future generations. Following the success of 2024, the leaders of ASEAN countries and China decided to make 2025 the year of people-to-people exchanges. 2025 was also chosen as the ASEAN-India Tourism Year.
Third, arousing aspirations for the future. 2024 marks a turning point for ASEAN, completing the 2025 Blueprints and setting development directions for the next decades. The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the four strategic plans on political-security, economic, socio-cultural cooperation and connectivity, expected to be adopted in 2025, will continue and inherit the achievements that have been made, and be the driving force for ASEAN to make a breakthrough in the new era.
New and contemporary areas of cooperation will be reflected throughout the Vision Implementation Strategies, shaping ASEAN's efforts in capturing and leveraging new growth drivers such as the digital economy, digital transformation, green transformation, renewable energy, etc., thereby continuing to demonstrate ASEAN's proactiveness, dynamism, and vitality, while creating a foundation for partners to continue engaging with the region and enhancing specific cooperation with ASEAN.
Reporter: Deputy Prime Minister, could you please tell us about the contributions of the Vietnamese delegation at the Conferences?
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son: With a busy schedule of activities over 4 consecutive days, the Prime Minister and members of the delegation attended more than 60 bilateral and multilateral activities, affirming Vietnam's proactive, positive and responsible image, while contributing to promoting Vietnam's relations with partners.
During the preparation process for the Conferences, Vietnamese ministries and sectors have actively promoted many cooperation priorities in specialized channels, which are both consistent with the ASEAN theme in 2024 and meet the common concerns of countries and regions. The Vietnamese delegation has also closely coordinated with the Lao Chairman and other countries to proactively, willingly and responsibly contribute to the development of Conference documents, making efforts to build common consensus.
At the Conferences, the Prime Minister's speeches not only deepened the connotation of "connection" and "self-reliance" in the current context, but also suggested new thinking, approaches and development ideas for the region based on practical requirements.
One is to promote self-reliance at all levels. The Prime Minister affirmed that solidarity, unity in diversity, self-reliance and strategic autonomy are prerequisites for ASEAN to stand firm in the face of changes. In implementing relations with partners, ASEAN needs to maintain its central role, maintain independence, strategic balance and principled behavior. In international and regional issues, ASEAN needs to firmly maintain its principled stances, based on international law, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and promote a common voice.
In that spirit, the Prime Minister shared and promoted ASEAN's principled stance on the East Sea issue, emphasizing the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early completion of a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Prime Minister also asked partners to support ASEAN's stance and efforts to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development.
Second, strategic connectivity in all aspects. Specifically, connecting a common vision , contributing responsibly, constructively and with goodwill to peace, stability and prosperity; connecting development cooperation, promoting new growth drivers such as digital economy, green economy, circular economy, sharing economy, stable and self-reliant supply chains; and connecting people , enhancing exchanges, engagement, understanding, further consolidating the identity of the ASEAN Community as well as the foundation of friendly relations between ASEAN and its partners.
Third, be ready for a new stage of ASEAN development. Faced with the rapid and complex movements of the current global and regional situation, the Prime Minister highlighted three tasks for ASEAN to develop steadily and move forward in the future. ASEAN needs to have creative thinking, breakthrough ideas and decisive actions to promote its pioneering and leading role. ASEAN needs to be a bridge connecting regional priorities with global priorities, creating complementarity and resonance in efforts to ensure peace, security and development. ASEAN needs to encourage broader participation and contributions from groups, genders, including parliaments, businesses and youth to the process of building the Community. On this occasion, the Prime Minister announced that Vietnam will continue to organize the ASEAN Future Forum 2025 with the desire to contribute more to regional cooperation and connectivity.
The 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related Summits were a great success, concluding the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2024. This achievement is the crystallization of Laos' efforts over the past year and the long preparation process before that, both affirming Laos' proactive and responsible contributions and contributing to raising the stature of a resilient and connected ASEAN Community.
Reporter: Could the Deputy Prime Minister please tell us the main results of the bilateral meetings between the Vietnamese delegation and Laos and other countries and partners on this occasion?
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son: On the occasion of attending the Conference in Vientiane, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had meetings with all senior Lao leaders. The exchanges between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Laos were very sincere and substantive, demonstrating the highest level of trust and attachment. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh once again affirmed that Vietnam especially values and gives the highest priority to the great relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation with Laos, always striving to foster and bring the Vietnam-Laos relationship to continue to develop sustainably and increasingly in depth.
The Lao leaders sincerely thanked Vietnam for its wholehearted assistance and selfless, pure support for Laos in the past struggle for national liberation as well as in the country's development today. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation and effective connectivity in various fields, including transport infrastructure, trade and investment, agriculture, high-tech livestock, ensuring food security; focusing on training high-quality human resources, tourism, people-to-people exchange, digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, and coordinating to preserve and protect historical sites marking the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated Laos' role as ASEAN Chair 2024, affirming that Vietnam is ready to strengthen coordination with Laos and other countries to ensure the success of the Conferences, contributing to promoting Laos' prestige and ASEAN's solidarity and consensus.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had meetings with the Lao and Cambodian Prime Ministers, together emphasizing the tradition and value of Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia solidarity in the context of the complex and unpredictable world situation; agreed to continue to coordinate to make the three countries' cooperation increasingly substantive and effective, meeting the practical needs of the three countries and in line with development needs in the new period.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister also had meetings and contacts with all senior leaders of countries and international organizations. At the meetings, leaders of countries and international organizations affirmed the importance of relations with Vietnam, highly appreciated the position and increasing role of Vietnam in the international arena. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and senior leaders of countries had in-depth and comprehensive exchanges, reviewed the implementation of agreements, and discussed measures to strengthen relations in traditional fields, including economics-trade-investment, security-defense, culture-education, people-to-people exchange and expanded cooperation to new fields such as digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), opening up opportunities to deepen cooperation between Vietnam and other countries, effectively and substantially.
During the Conference, leaders of ministries and branches also had many meetings with Lao and other foreign partners to discuss specific measures to strengthen cooperation in the fields under their responsibility.
Reporter: Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister./.
Source: https://dangcongsan.vn/thoi-su/vung-vang-phat-trien-vung-buoc-tuong-lai-680464.html
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