PM Phuc hails initiatives to augment ASEAN+3 cooperation

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has applauded a host of initiatives to step up ASEAN+3 cooperation, such as building a mechanism warning regional macroeconomic risks to improve the economies’ response readiness, and boosting regional collaboration in early disaster warning.

Leaders pose for a photo on November 15. (Photo: VNA)

PM Phuc attended the ASEAN+3 Summit in Singapore on November 15, with the leaders of ASEAN countries, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in attendance.

In his address, the Vietnamese government leader praised the positive developments on the Korean peninsula, pointing out however that many challenges remain, including trade conflicts, protectionism, security hotspot, non-traditional security problems, epidemics, environmental pollution, and natural disasters.

At the meeting, the leaders affirmed the role and contributions of ASEAN+3 cooperation to regional peace, security and prosperity, emphasizing this is one of the most effective collaboration frameworks of ASEAN.

They hailed strong trade and investment ties between ASEAN and the three partners, with their two-way trade hitting USD 807.3 billion or 31.6 per cent of the regional grouping’s total trade.

They consented to increase cooperation in agro-forestry-fishery, health, social security, climate change, disaster management, prevention of communicable diseases, economic cooperation and connectivity and macro-financial stability, support a free, open and rules-based multilateral trade system, and exert greater efforts to finalize negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The ASEAN+3 leaders highly appreciated the outcomes of the Inter-Korea and U.S.-DPRK Summits and voiced their support for efforts towards the complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula as well as the full and serious implementation of related resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

At the end of the summit, they adopted the Statement of the ASEAN+3 leaders on cooperation on the prevention of antibiotic resistance bacteria for a better life of people./.

VNF/VNA