Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has expressed appreciation for ties with partner countries and lauded their commitments to building the ASEAN Community and upholding its central role in the region. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc 

PM Phuc made the statement at the ASEAN 3 Summit with China,  Japan and the Republic of Korea, the ASEAN-Canada 40th Anniversary Commemorative Summit and the ASEAN-EU 40th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in Manila, the Philippines, on November 14. 

At the ASEAN 3 Summit, the Vietnamese PM suggested that the ASEAN 3 mechanism should gear towards regional economic growth, especially in trade, finance, infrastructure, narrowing development gap, connecting  and improving micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)’ capacity. 

He urged member states of the ASEAN 3 to boost cooperation in coping with emerging security challenges, including transnational crime, climate change, disaster and epidemics management. 

Participating leaders pledged to continue strengthening collaboration in politics, economy, finance, socio-culture, people-to-people exchanges, business connectivity, and towards building the East Asia Community. 

Chinese, Japanese and RoK leaders affirmed their commitments to regional cooperation, trade liberalisation, digital economic development and infrastructure connectivity. They also wished to soon conclude negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). 

The summit adopted the Manila Declaration on the 20th Anniversary of ASEAN 3 Cooperation, the ASEAN 3 Leaders’ Statement on Food Security Cooperation and took note of the Report on the implementation of the Action Plan on ASEAN 3 Cooperation and the Action Plan on ASEAN 3 Economic Cooperation adopted by the ASEAN 3 Ministerial Meeting in August 2017. 

Addressing the ASEAN-Canada 40th Anniversary Commemorative Summit, PM Phuc highlighted three priority areas of coordination, namely improving MSMEs’ capacity; enhancing connectivity, including human connectivity; and coping with challenges regarding climate change, terrorism, extreme violence and maritime security. 

He suggested Canada assists ASEAN in improving its capacity of ensuring maritime security, training law specialists and shares its experience in setting disputes at sea in line with international law. 

The Canadian side vowed to work closely with ASEAN to effectively realise the 2016-2020 Action Plan and strengthen the bloc’s central role in evolving regional architecture via ASEAN-led mechanisms. 

On the occasion, ASEAN leaders also took note of Canada’s proposal to partake in the 12th East Asia Summit (EAS 12) and the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and consider the possibility of signing an ASEAN-Canada trade agreement in the future. 

In his speech delivered at the ASEAN-EU 40th Anniversary Commemorative Summit, PM Phuc said the ASEAN and EU should coordinate closely to implement economic-trade cooperation programmes, and cope with natural disasters as well as traditional and non-traditional security challenges. 

On regional and global issues of mutual concern, he affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance on the denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula as well as the ASEAN’s viewpoint on the East Sea issue, particularly principles mentioned in the Joint Communiqué of the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in August 2017. 

Vietnam is ready to join other ASEAN member states to actively contribute to peace, stability and development in the region, PM Phuc stressed. 

In the afternoon of November 14, ASEAN leaders attended EAS 12 with eight partner countries including China, Japan, the RoK, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the US, the 15th ASEAN-India Summit, signed the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, attended the closing ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit and witnessed the transfer of ASEAN Chairmanship to Singapore.

PM: East Asia needs to increase dialogues, practical cooperation

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 14 emphasised cooperation orientations for East Asia while speaking at the 12th East Asia Summit (EAS 12) with eight partner nations in Manila, the Philippines, as part of the 31st ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

PM Phuc said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as other countries in the world is facing numerous challenges, including terrorism, violent extremism, nuclear proliferation, cyber security and maritime security.

He shared his concerns over the situation in the Korean Peninsula, particularly recent ballistic and nuclear missile tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), threatening peace and stability in the region.

In that context, the PM urged the involved parties to increase dialogues and practical cooperation; build an open, balanced, transparent and rule-based regional architecture; promote the EAS’s role in addressing regional challenges. He welcomed the EAS to bring marine cooperation into a new priority field.

Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Phuc reiterated ASEAN’s stance, including principles stated in the Joint Communiqué of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in August 2017, which are ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; addressing disputes via peaceful measures in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS); not using force and militarising; fully respecting legal and diplomatic processes; and implementing comprehensively and seriously the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

The PM welcomed ASEAN’s and China’s adoption of a framework for the COC in August and stressed the need to promote negotiations for a feasible, legally-binding COC in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS, to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea in the long run.

At the summit, the countries discussed strategic issues related to politics-security and economic development in the region.

They agreed to promote cooperation in various fields and increase the role of the summit, especially in the formation of an open, balanced, transparent and rule-based regional architecture.

Leaders agreed to supplement marine cooperation as a new priority field of the EAS in order to strengthen collaboration in sharing information, scientific research, and marine environmental protection in addition to coping with non-traditional security challenges at sea such as piracy, armed robbery, transnational crime, maritime pollution, and navigation accidents.

They called on countries to enhance cooperation to cope with challenges such as terrorism, violent extremism, trans-boundary matters, cyber security, human trafficking and climate change.

The leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues and expressed concerns over recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, the East Sea and Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

At the event, the leaders agreed to adopt declarations on anti-money laundering and countering financing for terrorism, preventing the spread of terrorism and chemical weapons, and cooperating to reduce poverty.

The EAS brings together ten members of ASEAN (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippine, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), and the bloc’s partners, Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the US.

PM highlights significance of fostering ASEAN-India ties

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has underscored the need to continue fostering and deepening ASEAN’s relations with India, focusing on optimizing projects on narrowing development gaps, strengthening connectivity and people-to-people contacts and broadening cooperation areas.

Addressing the 15th ASEAN-India Summit on November 14 as part of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, on behalf of ASEAN leaders, Phuc said ASEAN expects the support of India to the building of the ASEAN Community and the promotion of the association’s central role in shaping the regional architecture.

The PM also affirmed the determination of Vietnam, as the coordinating country of the ASEAN-India relations, to work with other ASEAN countries and India to successfully organise the upcoming summit commemorating the ASEAN-India ties.

Leaders of ASEAN and India showed delight at their affiliation outcomes recently, especially the effective implementation of their plan of actions for the 2016-2020 period and cooperation in prioritised areas in the 2016-2018 period.

They reaffirmed commitments to continue fostering economic, trade collaboration and connectivity, people-to-people contact, cooperation in science-technology, education, culture, natural disaster relief, and narrowing development gap.

They lauded Vietnam’s initiative to organise the ASEAN-India conference on blue economy in Nha Trang city from November 24-25. ASEAN leaders will also attend a summit commemorating the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India relations and the 69th India Republic Day on January 25-26, 2018 in New Delhi.-VNA