Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as the ASEAN Plus Three Chair, proposed the business community continue standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the governments in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and in economic recovery in East Asia at the ASEAN Plus Three Leaders’ Interface with Representatives from East Asia Business Council on November 14.

PM Phuc spoke highly of practical contributions of the East Asia Business Council (EABC) in the said-above fields as well as in regional economic connectivity and integration over the past time.

He called on regional enterprises to continue staying firm and overcome all difficulties and challenges to quickly recover and grow further.

The PM also suggested the business community pay attention to stepping up the application of digital and smart technologies in production and business towards sustainable development for inclusive benefits of people in the region.

The EABC was requested to promote its role as a bridge connecting businesses and the governments of East Asian countries, and continue making appropriate and timely recommendations to help improve regional economic integration policies and institutions so as to contribute to the effective implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.

At the event, EABC representatives proposed ASEAN Plus Three leaders include the business community’s recommendations in post-pandemic recovery policies, while welcoming the possible signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020.

To ensure the stability and sustainability of the supply chains of essential goods, the council suggested expanding the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) to other essential agricultural products.

The council also expressed its hope that government leaders will direct the reduction of digital technology application costs and carry out measures to intensify public private partnership in speeding up digital transformation for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

VNA

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