ASEAN 2022 in review: Solidarity is key for ASEAN to maintain stability amid global volatility

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh participated ASEAN Summit in which ASEAN Member States declared to ensure that the mainstreaming of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific through cooperation is based on the principles of strengthening ASEAN Centrality, openness, transparency, inclusivity, a rules-based framework, good governance, respect for sovereignty, non-intervention, complementarity with existing cooperation frameworks, equality, mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and respect for international law, such as UN Charter, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and other relevant UN treaties and conventions, the ASEAN Charter and various ASEAN treaties and agreements and the 2011 Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations (Bali Principles)[1].

At the EAS Summit, Pham expressed that ASEAN stands ready to be a trusted mediator, together with other EAS countries to seek effective, sustainable and long-term solutions to current security challenges.

In the framework of the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, Prime Minister Pham joined his ASEAN's colleagues and US's President Joe Biden on the establishment of the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as both sides reaffirm steadfast support for an open, transparent, resilient, inclusive, and rules-based ASEAN-centered regional architecture at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region that promotes ASEAN's strong, unified, and constructive role in addressing regional issues of common concern[2]. They also declared to partnerships in economic and technological cooperation, catalyze investments in high-standard, transparent, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

At the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2022, Prime Minister Pham said that the ASEAN business community should seek to fully grasp the opportunities brought about by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the largest regional free trade agreement that makes up 30 percent of global GDP and 30 percent of the world's population, in an attempt to expand market linkages, develop production and value chains, and harmonize regulations on product traceability, customs procedures, quarantine, and technical standards.

For the post-pandemic economic recovery, the Prime Minister suggested that the Governments, businesses, and ASEAN stakeholders effectively implement the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and other adopted initiatives focusing on recovery, digitalization, and sustainability, while promoting the application of scientific and technological advances to accelerate green recovery.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister affirms that Viet Nam is fully committed to creating the best possible business environment for a swift post-pandemic recovery and sustainable development.

In bilateral encounters, Prime Minister Pham had meetings with Heads of Delegation attending ASEAN Summit and Related Summits on the sidelines of the events, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, the Vietnamese Prime Minister and his counterparts discussed promote cooperation in sustainable development, digital transformation, climate change, green growth, food security and energy, among other topics.

But most important, Prime Minister Pham made it clear that, in the current global volatility, solidarity should always be the decisive factor determining the success of ASEAN over the last 55 years of the Association and will serve as the power for ASEAN to maintain stability./.

[1] 25-ASEAN-Leaders-Declaration-on-Mainstreaming-Four-Priority-Areas-of-the-ASEAN-Outlook-on-the-Indo-Pacific-within-ASEAN-led-Mechanisms.pdf

[2] ASEAN-U.S. Leaders' Statement on the Establishment of the ASEAN-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership | The White House