Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stresses strategic autonomy at 2nd ASEAN Future Forum

The session drew the participation of President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta; Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim – ASEAN Chair 2025, New Zealand's Prime Minister Zealand Christopher Luxon.

Strategic autonomy can be seen through various aspects, including diplomacy, economic development, national defense and security, and social progress.

A country with strategic autonomy must maintain balanced status and fair and friendly relations with partners, and create an environment of peace, stability, friendship and development on rule-of-law basis.

Along with that, such country must have real strengths and the economy must develop. There will be no strategic autonomy if the economy does not develop.

As the economy develops, national defense and security would be enhanced in accordance with real situation and social progress would be ensured.

Regarding ways to promote ASEAN's central role, Pham said ASEAN should not only join and support solutions and forums that bring peace, cooperation and development but also play a role in leading the game to the highest results.

ASEAN should promote its central role on the basis of its cooperative relations and partnerships with major powers, strategic and comprehensive partnerships, thus helping the bloc to strengthen its role over emerging issues such as war and peace, conflicts, poverty, climate change.

Regarding the "rules-based order" concept, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that first of all, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected while disputes must be settled through peaceful measures, without use or threat of force in international relations.

ASEAN has its own rules and principles such as solidarity, unity in diversity, and neutrality for common interests; respect for countries' positive contributions to ASEAN's development, flexibility towards sensitive issues in the region and the world; mutual assistance for mutual development, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Pham said that these are the principles that ASEAN countries all share and agree on, and every year the regional leaders meet and discuss how to make next year better than the previous year and make the people prosperous and happier than the previous year.

No country is left behind

Addressing the session, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim said that he was impressed by Viet Nam's path to transform itself from an impoverished country to a dynamic developing modern nation with achievements in socio-economic development and a distinctive foreign policy.

ASEAN is emerging as a beacon of hope, driving sustainable, harmonious, and dynamic economic development. Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair 2025, is willing to share its experiences with other nations and partners to foster mutual growth, ensuring no country is left behind, particularly in areas such as energy transition and digital transformation.

The Malaysian Prime Minister took the occasion to urge ASEAN to enhance its central role to assert its strategic autonomy and self-determination rights in economic development, especially amid the global trend of sustainability and trade competition among major economies.

Asia-Pacific region remains a top priority of New Zealand

New Zealander Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that the Asia-Pacific region remains a top priority in his country's foreign relations as it serves as a key driver of economic and trade growth.

Luxon affirmed New Zealand strongly advocates ASEAN's centrality in addressing and adapting to regional challenges.

"New Zealand remains committed to close cooperation and actively seeks new opportunities to further enhance its partnership with ASEAN, ensuring mutual benefits for both sides, as well as for the wider region and the world," he added.

Luxon spoke highly of Viet Nam's role as the coordinator of ASEAN-New Zealand relations and expressed his desire to elevate the ASEAN-New Zealand relationship to new heights.

He also pledged to raise trade volume between the bloc and New Zealand by twofold and spur people-to-people exchanges./.