During an interview granted to the press, Deputy FM Dung said the PM attended the plenary session of the 33rd ASEAN Summit, summits between ASEAN and China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, Russia, Australia, and India, the ASEAN Plus 3 meeting with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the East Asia Summit, and the meeting of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member states.
The PM proposed specific measures to build a peaceful, safe, rules-based and people-oriented ASEAN during the 33rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings that recently wrapped up in Singapore.
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Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung |
The PM also reiterated Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea (South China Sea) issue as well as regional and global issues, he said.
During meetings, leaders affirmed that amid complicated developments in the world, ASEAN needs a common voice to strengthen connectivity and promote a multilateral trade system, and maintain its central role and principles of protecting peace and stability, and respect of law in the region and the world.
They adopted 63 documents to lay a foundation for ASEAN cooperation and its collaboration with partner countries in the fields of politics, security, economy, and socio-culture in coming years.
Dung said participating countries expressed support to trade liberalization, unilateralism prevention and determination to conclude negotiations on RCEP in 2019.
About China’s proposal to conclude the negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) within the next three years, Dung said the negotiations need a favorable environment towards reaching a practical and effective COC in compliance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, making effective contributions to peace, stability and security in the region in general and in the East Sea in particular.
On technological application amid the fourth industrial revolution, the Deputy FM said PM Phuc continued promoting several initiatives presented at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018, especially those regarding digital connectivity and data sharing.
He highlighted the need to create a common digital platform to strengthen digital connectivity among the ASEAN member states and build an early forecast mechanism relating to financial, monetary and commercial risks, Dung said.
According to the Deputy FM, all eight dialogue countries joining the East Asia Summit are strategic partners of ASEAN. Many others also want to join the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, proving the bloc’s improving stature.
On the sidelines of meetings, PM Phuc met bilaterally with leaders from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and the US, while Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also met his Cambodian counterpart, during which they expressed wish to lift ties with Vietnam to a greater height.
PM Phuc and the leaders discussed specific measures to increase the exchange of visits, promote economic, trade, investment, labor, culture-education, national defense-security ties, protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad, the settlement of concerns of each side, cooperation within the ASEAN framework, and multilateral mechanisms in the region and the world.
Source: VNA