Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 9 said the preparation work is significant to the success of the upcoming World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) – Vietnam’s most important diplomatic activity in 2018.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc inspects preparations for WEF ASEAN on September 9. (Photo: VGP)

While inspecting preparations for the event, slated for September 11-13 at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi, the PM said this is an opportunity for Vietnam to affirm its aspiration for a higher position.

He said it is a need to step up communication work to popularise activities relating to the meeting as well as promote the image of Vietnamese land and people.

Attention should be paid to both the opening ceremony and related discussions, he said, stressing absolute safety during the event, with focus on health and sanitation issues.

According to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, six Presidents and Prime Ministers and three Deputy PMs are expected to attend the event. Up to 970 people have registered for the meeting as official delegates, raising the total number of participants to nearly 1,200.

About more than 300 domestic and foreign reporters will come to cover the important event, he said.

“Vietnam has worked closely with the WEF to make sure the best preparation for the upcoming WEF ASEAN 2018,” Justin Wood, Head of Asia-Pacific, Member of the WEF Executive Committee told a press conference on September 6 in Hanoi. “The thorough and active preparation is reflected in the strong representation of delegates, particularly regional governments and State leaders,” a WEF representative said.

The forum is expected to welcome the presence of leaders of governments and businesses from ASEAN members.

Among the delegates are the prime ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, the presidents of Indonesia and the Philippines, and Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The event will also see attendance of leaders of international organisations, and senior officials and entrepreneurs from non-ASEAN countries such as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India.

Their presence at the event shows the commitment to make ASEAN one of the world’s bright spots for economic growth as the Fourth Industrial Revolution expands in economic scope and impact, and the geopolitical environment around them changes rapidly, Wood said.

In 2010, Vietnam hosted the World Economic Forum on East Asia for the first time and over the past eight years, the country has obtained remarkable economic achievements, including the GDP per capita rising from USD 1,160 in 2010 to USD 2,385 in 2017.

The WEF was established in 1971 as a non-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva. The forum engages political, business, and other leaders to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam./.

VNF/VNA