Addressing the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering, PM Phuc suggested the United Nations, the IMF and the WB coordinate with ASEAN and Vietnam to accelerate the implementation of outcomes of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 (WEF ASEAN), especially the business environment harmony mechanism, the national incubator connectivity framework, and connectivity on education systems and building of life-long learning systems in ASEAN countries.

In the face of unpredictable global economic developments, PM Phuc proposed the IMF and the WB cooperate with and give advice to ASEAN countries in building a regional macroeconomic risk warning mechanism so as to improve self-reliance capacity and adaptation of the ASEAN economy.

He urged the them to continue supporting and closely working with the bloc in infrastructure development, early disaster warning and climate change response, narrowing development gaps, especially in digital gap, technology research and application, institutional reform and high-quality human resources training in order to grasp opportunities from the fourth Industrial Revolution.

PM Phuc also joined leaders of other ASEAN countries at the opening ceremony of the IMF-WB annual meetings, and metASEAN leaders such as Cambodian PM Hun Sen, Malaysian PM Mohamad Mahathir and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss measures to boost bilateral ties and address several certain matters.

The Vietnamese leader also received IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde who appreciated Vietnam’s policies to maintain its macro-economic stability.

During his working visit to Indonesia, PM Phuc held talks with President Joko Widodo, during which they agreed to create a new breakthrough and make economic cooperation become a main pillar of the Vietnam-Indonesia Strategic Partnership to soon raise two-way trade to 10 billion USD.

They acknowledged new steps forwards in cooperation in agriculture, education-training, connectivity, and agreed the need to further expand collaboration in potential areas such as training labourers to meet demands of the digital economy, strengthening tourism cooperation, and studying the opening of direct air services connecting major and tourist cities of the two countries.

The two sides also affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, while closely coordinating with each other as well as other relevant sides to ensure the full and effectively implementation of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and early conclusion of an effective, practical and legally-binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

On this occasion, the Vietnamese PM also received leaders of several Indonesian enterprises, including Ciputra Group and PT Nikko Sekuritas Indonesia.

The PM’s trip affirmed that Vietnam is an active and responsible member of ASEAN and demonstrates the importance that Vietnam attaches to the world’s largest multilateral institutions as well as the strategic partnership with Indonesia, thereby helping to promote Vietnam’s position in the region and the world.

It is also an illustration of Vietnam’s high regard for the archipelago nation’s role and standing in the region and the world, as well as the wish to coordinate closely with Indonesia and other countries in building a Southeast Asian region of peace, stability, unity, prosperous development and sustainable development.-VNA