The 31st ASEAN Summit (ASEAN-31) and related meetings, which will be held in Manila, the Philippines, from November 12 to 14, are set to focus on orientations and measures for enhancing connectivity to realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

Officials pose for a photo at the 7th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila in August 7, 2017

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will lead a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam to the ASEAN-31, the 20th ASEAN 3 Summit (with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), the ASEAN 1 meetings (with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, the US, Canada, the European Union, and the United Nations), and the 12th East Asia Summit.

These are the most important events of the year of ASEAN with the participation of leaders of the 10 ASEAN member nations and the bloc’s partners, which are major countries and important regional and international organisations.

On this occasion, PM Phuc will also take part in the 9th Mekong – Japan Summit and a meeting of leaders of countries joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

At the ASEAN-31 and meetings between ASEAN and partners, participating leaders are scheduled to discuss orientations and measures for strengthening connectivity to realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, thereby sending a message about an ASEAN of peace, stability and self-reliance that is open to the world. 

They will also look into ways to bolster ASEAN’s cooperation with partners while mulling over regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They are expected to sign one document, approve 25 documents and recognise 20 others. The host Philippines is set to issue nine declarations of the Chair of the meetings.

Amid complex developments in the region and the world, growing protectionism and emerging challenges, this time’s meetings will emphasise the intensification of ASEAN’s solidarity and central role. They also aim to help fuel economic growth, narrow development gap and improve the ASEAN Community’s capacity so as to have a self-reliant ASEAN benefiting people in the member countries and ensuring peace, security and stability in the region.

The building of the ASEAN Community continues to reap many positive outcomes as seen in the progress of implementing commitments in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the accompanied blueprints, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint.

Notably, ASEAN specified the inter-sectoral and inter-pillar issues in which cooperation needed to be fostered, including human trafficking prevention and control, sea-related security and cooperation, counter-terrorism, cyber security, maintaining and building post-conflict peace, human rights, drug control, environmental crime, fighting money laundry and trans-national crime, nuclear security and safety, and border management.

The recent ASEAN Community building progress has given more priority to women; children; micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises; promoting cooperation programmes on economic development and development gap narrowing; increasing connectivity; and ensuring social welfares.

The ASEAN Community Vision 2025 is also associated with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which demonstrates the bloc’s efforts to become an active member of the international community.

Meanwhile, the grouping’s relations with its dialogue partners have been reinforced. ASEAN currently has dialogue relations with 11 partners, including seven strategic partners. Eighty-eight partners have also sent ambassadors to ASEAN. 

While a number of countries and organisations want to establish relations with ASEAN, many non-ASEAN nations have expressed their interest in joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

These partners have also tightened multifaceted cooperation with ASEAN, assisted it to build a Community and supported the bloc’s central role.

The Vietnamese delegation’s participation in the ASEAN-31 and related meetings is meant to help enhance ASEAN’s solidarity, bring into play the association’s central role, strengthen ASEAN’s ties with partners, and create a favourable environment for sustainable development in each country and the whole region.

The delegation also hopes to promote Vietnam’s image as a country with active and responsible engagement in regional cooperation.-VNA