Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second, right) arrives in Washington D.C. on May 11 morning (local time) to attend the Special ASEAN - US Summit. (Photo: VNA)Talking to Vietnam News Agency, Dr. Hoo Chiew Ping, a seniorlecturer at the National University of Malaysia, said the summit, scheduled totake place in Washington D.C. on May 12 and 13, is the second of its kind to beheld since 2016 and the first with in-person participation of ASEAN and USleaders since 2017.
She said the summit will be a big test and also anopportunity for President Joe Biden to show that the US will strengthen itsties with ASEAN.
The Biden administration knows the US can only be successful inthe Indo-Pacific region when it manages to attract coordination andcontributions from its partners, she noted.
Hoo said through the summit, Biden will outline the US targetof a more effective economic solution to Southeast Asia in the post-pandemiceconomic recovery process.
In the context of disrupted global supply chains due toCOVID-19 impacts on China (the supplier of 60 - 70 percent of raw materialimports and exports) and economic impacts of the Russia - Ukraine tensions, theenhancement of economic links with the US could help make up for the serioussupply chain disruptions, according to the expert.
Both Malaysia and Vietnam are part of the semiconductorsupply chain for major manufacturers to produce electronic devices. While ASEANwants to make use of US investment, Washington D.C. also wishes to gain trustfrom the bloc’s members to move its factories to regional countries, sheadded./.
VNA
