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| ASEAN-43: Overview of the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS). (Photo: Anh Son) |
At the EAS-18 Summit, Leaders of EAS countries highly appreciated the role and strategic value of EAS as a forum for leaders to dialogue and provide strategic orientation for peace, security and prosperous development in the region.
The partners pledged to support ASEAN's central role and jointly build an open, transparent, inclusive regional structure based on international law and the United Nations Charter.
Countries agreed that the EAS needs to consolidate existing foundations, further promote its role and improve its adaptability to rapid developments and new challenges arising in the new context.
The countries pledged to coordinate and effectively implement the recently approved EAS Action Plan for the 2024-2028 period, prioritizing promoting trade, investment, maritime cooperation, ensuring food and energy security, while expanding new, potential areas such as digital transformation, green economy , circular economy, and climate change response.
Speaking at the Conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the stature and strategic value of EAS as a place for leaders to dialogue and orient for peace , security, cooperation and prosperity in the region and the world, together promoting cooperation, resolving conflicts, raising awareness to get closer together.
The Prime Minister stated that, with a scale of over 54% of the world's population and about 62% of global GDP, EAS is expected to be the focal point for converging trust, spreading benefits, strengthening trust, multiplying strength, unlocking resources and cooperating more closely and effectively.
| Countries participating in EAS include: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and the United States. |
In order for EAS to truly play that important role, the Prime Minister proposed three key groups of solutions.
Firstly, shaping a regional structure that is open, inclusive, transparent and based on international law. Accordingly, it is necessary to persevere with the basic principles in international relations, strengthen trust, and behave constructively and responsibly.
At the same time, he affirmed that ASEAN is ready to consult, dialogue and cooperate on an equal footing, with mutual trust and respect, to jointly respond to common challenges, contribute to peace, stability and development, and look forward to partners supporting ASEAN's central role in both words and actions.
Second, creating new momentum for inclusive growth and sustainable development. Accordingly, open markets and open policies, especially with a strategic, long-term vision instead of applying local, short-term measures, make EAS the center of trade, connect supply chains, and maintain smooth flow of goods and services.
The Prime Minister emphasized that transforming economic structures, moving towards building a digital economy, developing a green economy, applying a circular economy and a sharing economy are appropriate and correct orientations, mobilizing resources through public-private partnership.
Accordingly, the Prime Minister suggested the need to closely coordinate with each other, promote new thinking, new methods and new technologies in this profound transformation process.
At the same time, the Prime Minister asked Partners to support ASEAN in this transition process, in the spirit that leading countries need to help following countries, and more developed regions support less developed regions, especially remote areas, including through sub-regional cooperation, so that no one is left behind.
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| At EAS-18, the Prime Minister proposed three groups of solutions to make EAS a focal point for converging trust and spreading benefits. (Photo: Anh Son) |
Third, looking to the future, it is necessary to identify peace, stability, and development cooperation as the goal; dialogue and cooperation as the tool. The Prime Minister affirmed that frank dialogue and sincere cooperation are the foundation and important principles that have created ASEAN's success over the past six decades.
The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, and the DOC are very effective tools to serve the common goal of peace, stability and prosperity in the Southeast Asian region.
The Prime Minister expressed hope that this spirit will spread to other regions, including Europe, where the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and tensions on the Korean Peninsula are having a profound impact.
The Prime Minister called on all countries to unite internationally and promote multilateralism to solve global and national issues such as epidemics, climate change, and resource depletion, and to work together to resolve disputes and conflicts by peaceful means based on international law.
The countries had in-depth exchanges on international and regional issues. such as the East Sea, Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, the conflict in Ukraine... Countries emphasized the importance of peace, security, and stability in the region as a prerequisite for the current efforts of inclusive growth and sustainable development.
The Partners affirmed their support for ASEAN's efforts, balanced and objective approach and common stance on these issues.
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| Leaders attending EAS-18. (Photo: Anh Son) |
Sharing opinions at the Conferences, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that Partners need to show support for ASEAN's central role in practice, and work with ASEAN to promote dialogue, consultation, build trust, respond to common challenges, and build an open, transparent, inclusive regional structure based on international law.
The Prime Minister and ASEAN countries reaffirmed their common stance on the East Sea, emphasizing that ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea is in the interests of all countries, and requested Partners to support the full and effective implementation of the DOC Declaration, and the development of an effective, efficient, and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, contributing to making the East Sea a sea of peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development.
Sharing about the situation in Myanmar, the Prime Minister affirmed that ASEAN has taken the lead and will continue to lead the process of supporting Myanmar to overcome difficulties on the basis of the 5-point Consensus and affirmed that Vietnam will actively participate, contribute responsibly to this process and provide humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar.
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