Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (fifth, right), other ASEAN leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (fifth, left) at the 22nd ASEAN-China Summit in Bangkok on November 3

At the summit, the leaders underlined theimportance of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership for peace, security,stability and prosperity in the region.

They reiterated efforts to promote dialogues andcooperation as well as building trust and soon finalising the Code of Conductin the East Sea (COC).

The leaders also stressed the need to maintainpeace, security, stability, freedom and safety of navigation and aviation inthe East Sea and to refrain from actions that complicate the situation.

They agreed to abide by international law,including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS),implement seriously and fully the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the EastSea (DOC), and strive to build the East Sea into a region of peace,stability and cooperation.

Participants also welcomed the close economicties between ASEAN and China, with China being the largest trading partner ofASEAN for the past 10 consecutive years and a leading investor of the bloc.

ASEAN and Chinese leaders emphasised theircommitments to promoting multilateralism, supporting trade-investmentliberalisation, and strengthening a rule-based equal multilateral internationaltrading system.

They vowed to contribute to the completion ofthe Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as scheduled.

Under the ASEAN-China Strategic PartnershipVision 2030 approved in 2018, the two sides pledged to promote cooperation inthe fields of common interest such as trade and investment exchanges, includingthe effective implementation of the protocol to amend the ASEAN-China freetrade agreement.

The two sides agreed to strive for a two-waytrade of 1 trillion USD and investment of 150 billion USD by 2020.

They agreed to enhance connectivity between theimplementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and China’s “onebelt, one road” initiative, in addition to expanding people-to-people exchangeand cooperation in tourism, innovation, e-commerce and digital economy.

Addressing the event, PM Phuc said ASEAN alwaysattaches great importance to the role of China in endevours to maintain peace,security and stability for development cooperation and prosperity in theregion.

He voiced support for the designation of 2020 asa digital economic cooperation year between ASEAN and China.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the PM affirmedthat the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the world’s arterialmaritime route is the responsibility of all nations for mutual benefits.

He reiterated the clear and consistentviewpoints of Vietnam on the East Sea situation, which have been presented atforums at various levels. 

He urged the involved parties to step up effortsat both bilateral and multilateral levels to promote compliance withinternational law, including the (UNCLOS), as well as prevent the repetition ofactions that run counter to international law, while creating a favourableenvironment for building rules and trust, promoting dialogues, and peacefullysolving differences based on international law.

The PM also suggested implementing seriously andfully the DOC and maximising efforts to finalise the effective COC in line withinternational law and with the support of the international community.

Concluding the event, the two sides agreed toadopt three documents, including the ASEAN-China Leaders' Statement onSmart City Cooperation Initiative, the Joint Statement on Strengthening MediaExchanges and Cooperation between ASEAN and China, and the ASEAN-ChinaJoint Statement on Synergising the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC)2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)/.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends opening ceremony of 35th ASEAN Summit

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc joined leaders of other ASEAN countries and the bloc’s partners at the opening ceremony of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok on November 3 morning.

In his opening speech, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha reviewed the grouping’s achievements this year under the theme “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability” to help create a people-oriented and people-centred ASEAN Community that leaves no one behind and looks towards the future.

ASEAN has made strong strides through the implementation of the ASEAN Leaders’ Vision Statement on Partnership for Sustainability and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, he noted.

The Thai PM also pointed out the issues ASEAN and the world are facing, including increasing challenges and uncertainties, noting that aside from promoting growth, the association also needs to address problems on developing human resources; conserving the environment; fighting marine debris, haze pollution and IUU fishing; promoting an ASEAN identity; and strengthening partnerships with partners.

At the same time, it is also necessary to create a favourable environment for long-lasting peace and stability while promoting dynamic economic growth and sustainable development, the host leader said.

He also asked the relevant parties to continue working to conclude negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) within this year to stimulate economic growth, as well as trade and investment.

According to him, to achieve all these, ASEAN needs a new “growth paradigm” which fosters dynamic, sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and prioritises human capital development concurrently with environmental conservation.

Following the opening ceremony, the ASEAN leaders attended meetings with the bloc’s partners, namely the 22nd ASEAN-China Summit, the 16th ASEAN-India Summit, and the 10th ASEAN-UN Summit.

The 35th ASEAN Summit and related summits are underway in Bangkok with the participation of leaders from the 10 ASEAN countries and partners (China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Russia), along with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres./.

PM attends plenary meeting of 35th ASEAN summit

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the plenary session in Bangkok on November 2

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the plenary meeting of the 35th summit of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings in Bangkok in the afternoon of November 2.

The countries reviewed the results of the implementation of the priorities under the theme of promoting the partnership for sustainability. They spoke highly of the progressed gained in the building of the ASEAN Community and stressed that the bloc need to maintain its role and significance as the core force in pushing up peace, stability, dialogue and cooperation in the region.

The participants also agreed to continue broadening and deepening the relationship between the ASEAN and partners, accelerating the sustainable development of the ASEAN, in line with the objectives of the United Nations’ agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals.

PM Phuc highlighted the solidarity and consensus of the ASEAN and stressed the importance of the building of the regional architecture which is open, transparent and working on the basis of laws. He asked the ASEAN countries to bring into play the solidarity supporting Vietnam in accomplishing the tasks of the ASEAN Chair in 2020, building the ASEAN Community of sustainable development and having intensive and extensive relations with the partners.

He highlighted that in the complicated regional and world situation with advantages and challenges existing together, the countries need to have a common voice, building the regional structure which is open, transparent and based on the law, and making effective contributions to peace and stability in the region and the world over. On the basis of the achievements recorded, Vietnam will further bring into play the theme of sustainable development and consolidate the solidarity among the members.

Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Phuc stressed that the prerequisite to achieve peace and stability is to maintain an order that respect the international law. In the recent past, there were serious violations of the international law in the sea of the region and Vietnam. They just came to an end but have left profound lessons for ASEAN and this sheds more light on the fact that security and stability in the East Sea now is very fragile and requires serious pledges and responsibility of all the countries in the region to ensure that similar incidents will not be repeated. Vietnam is determined and persistent in protecting the international law in the international relations in general and in the East Sea issues in particular.

In that context, the leader affirmed ASEAN has maintained solidarity and unity, manifested through the stance raised at the 52nd foreign ministerial meeting, upholding the importance of peace, stability, respect to the international law, ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation, aviation, stressing restraint from acts that complicate the situation, fully implementing the Declaration on the Conducts of the parties in the East Sea (DOC) and building the Code of Conducts in the East Sea (COC). He also expressed Vietnam’s desire on building the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability and sustainable development.

The same day, PM Phuc had separate meetings with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

At the meeting with the UN leader, PM Phuc affirmed that Vietnam supports multilateralism and is determined to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 and the Paris treaty on coping with climate change, as well as supports his efforts in the reform of the UN development system.

For his part, the UN chief said Vietnam is a vanguard in many fields, spoke highly of the country’s effective participation and hoped Vietnam will make more active contributions to the UN’s peacekeeping efforts.

The two agreed to intensify cooperation and connection activities between the ASEAN and the UN during Vietnam’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2020 and its term of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2020-2021. On the East Sea situation, they shared the viewpoint on the need to ensure peace, stability, freedom and security of navigation and aviation, reaching the COC at an early in the spirit of ensuring respect for the international law and the UNCLOS 1982. PM Phuc invited Guterres to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the ASEAN Summit in 2020, and the invitation was accepted.

At the meeting with the Thai PM in the evening of November 2, PM Phuc expressed his belief that his Thai counterpart will lead the country to achieve sustainable development and successfully accomplish the role of the ASEAN Chair for 2019. He expressed his hope that the two countries will closely coordinate to boost the bilateral strategic partnership, and asked the Thai leader to facilitate the distribution of Vietnamese goods in the Thai market and to support the life of the people of the Vietnamese origin in Thailand.

The Thai leader proposed the two countries intensify their coordination in dealing with issues that have common impact on the ASEAN, and agreed to look for ways to improve trade revenue and investment scale.

The two leaders agreed to boost close coordination to achieve the common goals of building the ASEAN Community, strengthen the central role of the ASEAN, promote the relationship with the partners, and dealing with security issues in the region, including the East Sea issue.

The same day, PM Phuc attended the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the ASEAN and the FIFA./.VNA