ASEAN Foreign Ministers at their 51st Meeting in Singapore (AMM 51) (Photo: AFP/VNA)Singapore (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Minister Pham Binh Minh led a delegation to attend the ASEANPost-Ministerial Conference sessions with its partners, namely Japan, China,Russia and New Zealand, held in Singapore on August 2 within the framework ofthe 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 51).
At these conferences, foreign ministers of ASEAN memberstates and partners reviewed their cooperation in the past year, and discussedspecific orientations for the future.
The partners showed their support for ASEAN’s efforts tobuild the community, intensify connectivity, and narrow development gap, aswell as its priorities to build a resilient and innovative ASEAN in 2018.
They agreed on the need to expand cooperation to new fieldssuch as innovation development, e-commerce, digital economy, and smart city totake advantage of benefits offered by technology advance and the FourthIndustrial Revolution.
They appreciated the role of ASEAN in the region and affirmedto back the bloc’s central role in a regional structure that is open,transparent, inclusive and legally binding, through ASEAN-led mechanisms,including ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF),and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.
The partners also expressed their sympathy over the lossescaused by natural disasters and incidents in region, including the dam collapsein Laos, and confirmed to continue providing assistance for affected countries.
Regarding the regional and global situation, the ministerspledged to step up cooperation to effectively respond to challenges threateningpeace, security and stability in the region. They welcomed positive progress inthe Korean Peninsula, while sharing concern over developments in the East Seawith militarisation activities which are eroding trust and harming peace andstability in the region.
The ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintainingpeace, stability, aviation and navigation security, safety and freedom in the EastSea, stressing the need to solve all disputes by peaceful means on the basis ofinternational law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea. They agreed on the need of the full and effective implementation ofthe Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and moreefforts to early complete the formation of an effective, practical, andlegally-binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
At the ASEAN-Japan Post-Ministerial Conference, theparticipating officials said that the ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership hasdeveloped strongly over the past 45 years, bringing about benefits to eachside’s people, and contributing to peace and stability in the region. The twosides acknowledged positive progresses in carry out a revised plan on theimplementation of the Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship andCooperation, which has contributed to expanding trade and investment, steppingup human and infrastructure connectivity, and tightening cooperation inresponding to non-traditional security challenges.
They reached a consensus on strengthening cooperation infighting terrorism and trans-national crime, ensuring cyber security, and insea-related issues, as well as coordinating in boosting economic linkages andsupporting a fair, free and legally binding trade system. The sides also agreedto soon complete negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP), step up technology application in innovation, regionalconnectivity and sustainable development in sub-regions, improve climate changeadaptation, and intensify cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
They vowed to coordinate closely in organising aCommemorative Summit in celebration of the 45th anniversary of thebilateral partnership in November so as to deepen ties.
The conference concluded with the transfer of the role as acoordinator for the ASEAN-Japan relations for 2018-2021 from Brunei to Vietnam.
At the ASEAN-China Post-Ministerial Conference, officialsdefined 2018 as an important milestone marking the 15 years of the ASEAN-Chinastrategic partnership, affirming that China remains one of the most importantpartners of ASEAN. The sides acknowledged the positive developments in thebilateral relations, including efforts to start negotiations and reach a singledraft document on the COC. They affirmed commitment to intensifying intensiveand extensive collaboration in issues of common concern and interests, whilehoping that high-leevel leaders will approve a vision orienting the ASEAN-Chinarelation by 2030.
Participants stressed the need to raise two-way trade to 1trillion USD and investment to 150 billion USD by 2020, upgrade the ASEAN-ChinaFree Trade Agreement, and closely coordinate in RCEP negotiations. They alsoshowed their backing for an open and rule-based trade system and intensifyingregional connectivity, reflected through China’s implementation of the Belt andRoad Initiative (BRI) and its support for the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity2025.
Both sides were unanimous in intensifying cooperation ininnovation, consolidating mutual trust and understanding, and boostingcooperation in response to regional security challenges, including the holdingof the first ASEAN-China Maritime Drill later this year. They affirmed to continuecultural and people-to-people exchanges to connect their peoples.
Concluding the conference, Singapore handed over the role ofcoordinating the ASEAN-China Dialogue Partnership for the 2018-2021 period tothe Philippines.
At the ASEAN-Russia Post-Ministerial Conference, the twosides acknowledged progress in the implementation of the 2016-2020 ASEAN-RussiaComprehensive Plan of Action and the outcomes of the Commemorative Summit in Sochiin 2016.
ASEAN member states congratulated Russia for successfullyholding Football World Cup 2018, and welcomed the country’s establishment ofits Mission and sending of an Ambassador to ASEAN, as well as the organisationof the first ASEAN-Russia Think-Tank Network (NARTT) in April in Moscow andefforts to form a working group on education.
Both sides agreed to step up all-round cooperation in thepolitical-security, economic and socio-culture pillars, including humanconnectivity, with priority given to the cooperation on the fight against terrorismand extremism as well as in cyber security, trade, investment, development ofmicro, small- and medium-sized enterprises, innovation, agriculture, energy,education, and tourism.
At the conference, Laos transferred the role of thecoordinator for ASEAN-Russia relations for 2018-2021 to Indonesia.
ASEAN member states also welcomed New Zealand’simplementation of its People Strategy and Prosperity Strategy in order toenhance its ties with ASEAN. The two sides agreed to review the second phase toupgrade the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, while continuingto intensify economic linkages within the framework of the Asia-PacificEconomic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and in negotiations of theRCEP.
The two sides reached a consensus on stepping up cooperationin new fields such as renewable energy, infrastructure development, aviation,digital economy, agriculture and fishery.
ASEAN countries voiced their backing for New Zealand’sinitiative to cooperate with Indonesia in plastic waste prevention at sea, andagreed to strengthen collaboration in maritime security at ASEAN-ledmechanisms.
The conference witnessed Indonesia’s transfer of the role asa coordinator for the ASEAN-New Zealand relations for 2018-2021 to Cambodia.
Speaking at these events, Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minhaffirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to and will work with other ASEAN countriesin expanding and deepening multi-faceted cooperation between ASEAN and Japan,China, Russia and New Zealand.
Vietnam will actively participate in initiatives andcooperation activities, especially in the fields of its interest, such asmaritime collaboration, regional connectivity, economics, trade, investment,education and training and digital economy.
He stressed the need for ASEAN and its partners to boostdialogue, cooperation and build trust in order to prevent conflicts andmaintain peace, security and stability in the region.
Minh shared concern over complicated developments in theEast Sea, reaffirmed the ASEAN’s agreed principles, and called on involvedparties to practice self-restraint and to avoid actions that complicate thesituation, intensify tensions and harmdialogue progress and cooperation in the region, including efforts to negotiatethe COC.
Receiving the role as a coordinator for the ASEAN-Japanrelations, he affirmed Vietnam will exert efforts to bring the ASEAN-Japan strategicpartnership to a new height.-VNA
VNA
