Dear ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, Ladies and gentlemen,
1. I am pleased that during my State visit to Indonesia, I have the opportunity to pay an official visit and speak at the ASEAN Secretariat - the standing agency of ASEAN, where ASEAN meetings and summits at high and all levels, between ASEAN and its partners, and where ASEAN leaders have passed many important decisions contributing to the development and future of Southeast Asia and the world.
I would like to sincerely thank the General Secretary, leaders and staff of the ASEAN Secretariat, along with the ambassadors and representatives of the diplomatic missions here for their warm welcome to me and the Vietnamese delegation. In today's audience, I know that there are many prestigious scholars and researchers, many of whom have made important contributions to the development of ASEAN and the Vietnam - Indonesia relationship. I respectfully send you all my best wishes and best wishes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
2. As soon as we set foot in the beautiful "land of a dozen islands", we everywhere saw the radiant eyes, the very friendly and affectionate smiles of the Indonesian people, making us feel like visiting the house of a real brother with many similarities and closeness. Indonesia is famous for its diverse culture, where many major cultures and religions in the region stretch from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. majestic nature, combined with ancient architectural works imbued with spiritual and cultural values and even unique and impressive modern architectural works have become an attractive destination for tourists around the world and Vietnam.
Indonesia is also known for its ideology that goes beyond the regional scale, in which independence, self-reliance, self-reliance, non-linearity... have become Indonesia's foreign philosophy. With the inspiration of coming to this country and immersing myself in the extremely warm, friendly and united atmosphere at the ASEAN Secretariat, I would like to share with you some thoughts about the important role of ASEAN in the current context in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions; about Vietnam's foreign policy, international integration in the era of national growth, striving to contribute to peace, stability and development of ASEAN, the region and the world.
Ladies and gentlemen, 3. In recent decades, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world and the region are witnessing rapid changes, creating trendy changes with three major trends shaping the future:
Firstly, the reshaping of the world situation in a multipolar, multi-central direction, in which strategic competition and separation between major countries are increasingly fierce, poses unprecedented opportunities and challenges for the international order after war and ASEAN.
Second, the explosive development of science and technology, especially emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, block chain, synthetic biology, etc., leads to fundamental changes in the cultural - economic, political, and social life of all people, each nation and each people.Third, the increasingly profound impact of non-traditional security challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, epidemics, cybersecurity, population aging, etc. requires countries to adjust development methods and cooperation in global governance.
These trends are deeply affecting all aspects of global political, security, economic and social life, bringing opportunities and challenges to all countries and international organizations, including ASEAN and Vietnam. More than ever, we have a clear sense of the difficulties, challenges, and risks to peace, security, and stability. Escalating tensions and conflicts between countries to their highest level in 75 years.
Global security is increasingly uncertain, nearly 15% of the world's population currently lives in areas affected by conflict. International cooperation and multilateral institutions face many unprecedented challenges as trust between countries is gradually being replaced by confrontation and skepticism. Open multilateralism, fueled by a strong globalization process over the past three decades, is eroding. Intertwined traditional and non-traditional security challenges are increasingly complex, making the security and development environment of the Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia and ASEAN member countries, more complex and unpredictable than ever.
As ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn stated at the 2nd ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi at the end of February: The current world is characterized by "competition, confrontation, mutual challenge and division".
However, I think that it is in challenges and difficulties that opportunities always contain or appear. Difficulties promote countries to get closer together, dealing with common challenges. At the same time, difficulties also open up rare opportunities for ASEAN to rise up to break through and affirm its new position, based on principles, common values and achievements after nearly 60 years of development.
More importantly, difficulties and challenges are the driving force for innovation. From the historical lesson of Vietnam, if it were not for the difficulties and challenges of the 1980s, we would not be sure to have the cause of innovation and Vietnam today.
Our beloved President Ho Chi Minh once advised: "There is nothing difficult, just afraid of being intolerant, digging mountains and filling the sea, determined to do it". This is the opportunity and time for us to continue to innovate and innovate more strongly. Therefore, what we need to do is to be determined, wholeheartedly look at difficulties and challenges, continue to promote cooperation, stimulate innovation and create new, sustainable growth momentum for the entire ASEAN Community, for each ASEAN member country as well as ASEAN partners.
Ladies and gentlemen, 4.
Looking back at ASEAN's nearly 60-year history gives us many valuable lessons, especially in the spirit of self-reliance, self-reliance and strategic autonomy.I would like to share with you three typical stories about ASEAN's historic decisions that created a turning point in the development of the region.
First was the regional financial crisis period in the late 90s of the last century. The spillover impact of the crisis at that time has raised questions about the real effectiveness and prospects of regional economic linkages; many people even hastily believe that ASEAN will retreat and erect a protective " wall". But ASEAN's decision at that time was completely opposite. It is in the crisis that ASEAN is more aware of the dependence and cohesion between economies.
From the decision to accelerate the integration roadmap in the ASEAN Free Trade Zone, to efforts to promote the free movement of goods, services, investment, etc., it is these right decisions that have contributed significantly to helping ASEAN overcome difficulties, today becoming a center of free trade agreement networks accounting for 30% of the world's population and 32% of global GDP.
The second story is ASEAN's decision to accelerate the formation of the Community in 2015, shortening the 5-year progress compared to the original roadmap. This is a strong and timely decision, made in 2007 in the context of the urgent need to elevate ASEAN's connectivity to keep up with the trend of globalization and increasingly deep integration. The ASEAN Charter, which came into effect in 2008, creates a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for ASEAN linkages. The birth of the ASEAN Community on December 31, 2015 is a new step in the quality of ASEAN on all three pillars: (1) Politics - security; (2) Economy and (3) Culture - society. ASEAN has today become a community of 10 countries unified in diversity; the 5th largest economy in the world with top growth rate; the center of regional and global linkage processes; a bridge for dialogue and cooperation for peace and development in the region, actively contributing to shaping a new world order.
Finally, there is a story about ASEAN's extraordinary efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing unprecedented challenges from the outbreak of the epidemic, ASEAN has mobilized overall strength, turning the need for response cooperation into a common digital model of national interests, together maintaining the stability of ASEAN activities, and maintaining the momentum for Community building. Amidst the gloomy colors of the world economic picture, ASEAN continues to emerge as a positive bright spot with a growth forecast for 2025 reaching 4.7%. To take advantage of new growth drivers, a series of cooperation frameworks are being urgently built to enhance ASEAN's competitive advantage, shape and lead new cooperation trends in the region.
5. The above stories are a testament to the core values that have made ASEAN successful and unique over the past 6 decades. Solidarity, self-reliance, cooperation, and unity in diversity continue to be the keys to ensuring ASEAN's success in the current volatile context. The emergence of increasingly many challenges with multi-dimensional and extensive impacts requires ASEAN to have a creative, flexible and innovative approach, even in the decision-making process. Agreeing and united does not mean always keeping oneself in a safe zone for all parties. On the contrary, members of the ASEAN family must dare to think, dare to do, dare to act for the common good. That is the true meaning and value of consensus and solidarity.
6. Entering a new stage of development, ASEAN will certainly develop strongly and will become the world's fourth largest economy by 2030. With a consumer market of more than 800 million people, it will be a center for technology, digital economy and innovation, with ASEAN's digital economy developing rapidly and expected to reach the 1,000 billion USD mark by 2030.
In the face of current complex changes, to maintain and promote the achieved achievements effectively and sustainably, affirming its stature and focal position, ASEAN not only needs solidarity, unity, and unity, but also needs breakthrough thinking, sharp strategies, feasible roadmaps, focused resources and drastic actions. I have some thoughts on creating a breakthrough in promoting ASEAN's strategic values, enhancing ASEAN's prestige and role in the coming time.
First, ensure strategic autonomy and flexibility to enhance adaptation and response to challenges and rapid fluctuations in the context of strategic competition. ASEAN needs to coordinate with higher responsibility in strengthening intra-bloc solidarity. This is a decisive factor in responding to external pressures, maintaining an independent and balanced voice in the context of increasingly fierce strategic competition for the major country. Accordingly, ASEAN needs to increase consensus through consultations, dialogues, and inter-related interests among members; raising community awareness and being more proactive and proactive from each member country in seeking a common digital model of ASEAN's interests, identity and values.
Second, being more self-reliant in economy, taking advantage of and promoting ASEAN's advantages as a large and potential economic development space, rising in the global supply chain to become a strategic production center of the world.
ASEAN needs to be more creative in development solutions, have new approaches to promote new growth drivers, especially in innovation, science - technology, digital transformation, green economic development, circular economy, renewable energy and high-quality human resource development; ensure harmony between economic growth and green, inclusive and sustainable development. ASEAN needs to become the center of breakthrough initiatives in technology, turning scientific research into practical applications, effective in socio-economic development.
Third, further promote the identity and value of ASEAN. Strengthen cultural connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, promote ASEAN's unique values such as consensus, harmony and respect for differences. Preserving and promoting the "ASEAN Method" - a valuable cultural heritage in the Association's decision-making method, especially taking people as the center, goal and driving force of sustainable development.
In the context of food security, energy security and climate change that have seriously affected people's lives, ASEAN's task is to be ready in all aspects to be able to proactively adapt to all circumstances, ensuring a stable and prosperous life for people.
Fourth, enhance the effectiveness of developing standards of conduct to harmonize and guide relations between countries in the region on the basis of the principles of balance, inclusion and mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the substance in implementing initiatives and cooperation commitments. Faced with the increasing strategic rubrication between major countries, ASEAN needs to demonstrate solidarity in both behavior and action, maintain its central role, promote its role as a connecting and bridging, encourage participants in ASEAN-led mechanisms, create a foundation for dialogue and goodwill cooperation, promote cooperation and maintain stability and peace for the region and the world, on the basis of ensuring compliance with the principles and guidelines set by ASEAN mechanisms. In particular, ASEAN needs to be more proactive in using the "ASEAN approach" to find long-term, sustainable solutions to problems inside and outside Southeast Asia.
Fifth, focus on solving problems within the bloc to help Myanmar stabilize and develop; help Timor Leste soon become a full member of ASEAN.
Ladies and gentlemen, 7.
Vietnam is proud of the international integration process that has been implemented over the past 30 years, in which ASEAN is the starting point, the premise for Vietnam to integrate more and more deeply into the region and the world.From an isolated and embargoed country, Vietnam today has diplomatic relations with 194 countries and is a member of more than 70 regional and world forums and organizations.The Free Trade Agreement Network (FTA) that Vietnam signed and implemented with more than 60 countries and economies has contributed to making Vietnam one of the 40 largest economies in the world and the world's top 20 economies in terms of foreign investment attraction and trade scale.
To date, Vietnam has established comprehensive partnerships, strategic partners, and comprehensive strategic partners with 35 countries, including all ASEAN members and important ASEAN partners. It can be affirmed that cooperation with ASEAN members and with the ASEAN network of partners has made an important contribution to ensuring a peaceful, stable and favorable environment for Vietnam's development and prosperity, opening up potential development space for Vietnam and helping Vietnam enhance its prestige, role and international position.
As a trusted, active and responsible member of the region and the world, Vietnam has been striving to contribute resources and intelligence to the leading important cooperation mechanisms in the region and globally. Vietnam's contributions as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council and important regional cooperation mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), and three times ASEAN Chair (in 1998, 2010, 2020) have been recognized and highly appreciated by international friends. Vietnam understands that along with the increase in position, there is an increase in responsibility, for the ASEAN family, for regional friends and for common concerns of the international community.
These great achievements of historical significance are an important foundation for Vietnam to enter a new era, an era of national growth. Vietnam is determined to pursue a growth target of 8% in 2025 and above 2 digits in the following years; making the country a modern industrialized country by 2030 and a developed country with high income by 2045. We link rapid and sustainable economic development with growth model innovation towards improving quality, efficiency, competitiveness with science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the key driving force; at the same time, continue to take people as the center, the driving force of development; build a rule of law state, of the people, by the people and for the people.
In the new era of development, Vietnam continues to steadfastly implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of relations, being a friend, a trusted partner, an active and responsible member of the international community; proactively and actively integrating deeply and comprehensively into the international community. Vietnam is ready to make more active and proactive contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization.
With the aspiration of a peace-loving nation, we also believe that peace is the foundation for development. Inheriting the generative and humane tradition of the nation "Connecting the two countries in harmony; extinguishing the fire of war forever", "Give strength to defeat violence; take good people and strengthen violence", Vietnam persists in its "four no's" defense policy: (1) Not participating in military alliances; (2) Not cooperating with one country to fight against another; (3) Not allowing foreign countries to set up military bases or use territory to fight against another country; (4) Not using force or threatening to use force in international relations. Vietnam has always steadfastly supported respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law; strongly supported the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, opposed unilateral actions, policies of power, the use or threat of force in international relations.
8. Since the beginning of opening up and integrating, we have always identified ASEAN as a direct, top-notch multilateral cooperation mechanism for Vietnam. Over the past 3 decades since joining ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam has given top priority to strengthening and enhancing relations with neighboring countries and the region, striving to contribute fully to building a united, strong and self-reliant ASEAN Community, thereby affirming its international position as a member of the ASEAN family. Vietnam's foreign priority in the coming time is to work with ASEAN to continue building a strong, united community, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Facing a new historical starting point, Vietnam and ASEAN are both aiming for ambitious goals. In the next development journey with new expectations for ASEAN, Vietnam is more aware of its responsibility to proactively participate and contribute more to the common work, with the motto of creativity in thinking, innovation in approach, flexibility in implementation, efficiency in working methods and determination in action.
Vietnam will closely coordinate with ASEAN members to contribute to realizing potential and resolving challenges, including efforts to build an inclusive, sustainable regional structure, connected in politics, security, economy, trade, culture, society and people-to-people exchange; at the same time, promoting behavior based on the United Nations Charter and international law as the best and most fundamental way to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
Vietnam will continue to join hands with ASEAN countries to realize ASEAN's historical mission, spreading ASEAN's success stories. For member countries, it is a story of solidarity, attachment and mutual assistance, self-reliance, self-reliance, strategic autonomy, and the successful implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, for the practical benefits of member countries and the Community.
For the region, it is a story of a comprehensive and extensive partnership between ASEAN and its partners in the spirit of goodwill, responsibility, mutual respect and mutual benefit, striving for peace, security, stability, prosperity and sustainable development. To the world, as a story of conveying hope and inspiration, ASEAN is a successful model of connectivity, bringing confidence and motivation for solidarity and development cooperation in many places around the world, linking the interests of regions with global concerns, creating a strong resonance to effectively handle global issues, realizing the common aspiration for peace and development.
Wishing the General Secretary and members good health, happiness and success.
Sincerely thank you for listening.
