According to VNA, within the framework of the 44th-45th ASEAN Summits and related Summits, on October 10, in Vientiane, Laos, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of other countries attended the ASEAN+1 Summits with partners China, South Korea, Japan and the ASEAN+3 Summit (Japan, South Korea and China).
Promoting ASEAN-China strategic connectivity
Speaking at the 27th ASEAN-China Summit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that ASEAN and China are increasingly affirming their roles as important driving forces, dynamic development centers, leading growth and development in the region and the world.
Orienting the future of relations, the Prime Minister suggested that ASEAN and China need to enhance self-reliance more than ever, promote close, comprehensive and inclusive ties and connections.
The Prime Minister hopes that ASEAN and China will connect their positions and viewpoints, further consolidate and enhance political trust, closely coordinate, make active and responsible contributions to peace, security and stability, enhance dialogue, peacefully resolve disputes in the region, including the East Sea, turn the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability, cooperation and long-term sustainable development, and soon conclude negotiations on a substantive and effective COC in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Establishing ASEAN-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
The 25th ASEAN-Korea Summit unanimously adopted the Joint Statement establishing the ASEAN-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a new development milestone on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of relations (1989-2024).
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his delight at the official establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the relationship. Accordingly, the Prime Minister proposed three orientations for implementing the ASEAN-RoK relationship commensurate with the new level. The Prime Minister welcomed the Republic of Korea's continued active support for ASEAN's common stance on the East Sea as well as its efforts to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development. ASEAN is ready to coordinate and promote relevant parties to enhance dialogue towards long-term peace and stability on the nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
Second, promote economic cooperation more strongly, focusing on connecting economies, cultural cooperation, tourism, education and training. In particular, trade and investment cooperation needs to develop in a more balanced and sustainable direction, making better use of the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Third, take more drastic actions to promote inclusive, comprehensive growth and sustainable development, especially for new growth drivers. Accordingly, it is necessary to jointly open up new horizons of strategic cooperation such as innovation, high technology, renewable energy, digital transformation, green transformation, climate change response, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, Internet of Things, etc.
