Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – A Malaysian expert has appreciated Vietnam’s role as ASEAN 2020Chair with positive results obtained at the 37th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

“ASEAN has againdemonstrated its solidarity and cohesiveness in facing the COVID-19 pandemicand its commitment to multilateralism by signing the Regional ComprehensivePartnership (RCEP),” said YeahKim Leng, Senior Fellow and Director of the Economic Studies Programme at theJeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia at Sunway University in an interview given to the Vietnam News Agency’scorrespondent in Kuala Lumpur.

The RCEP agreement is a notable success of the 37th ASEAN Summit in bringingthe concept that was first mooted at the Bali ASEAN Summit in 2011 to realityin 2020, he said, adding that another impressive achievement is the recordnumber of documents signed at the summit that epitomises the close cooperationamong member countries in addressing common challenges such as the COVID-19pandemic, food security and climate change. 

According to Yeah, theyear 2020 has been most challenging for all countries as they confront theunprecedented global health and economic crises. As a regional bloc, ASEAN hasnavigated both crises relatively well despite the difficulties posed by travelrestrictions, border closures and health measures instituted to contain thebreak in each country.

Despite these difficulties, ASEAN under Vietnam’s chairmanship, continues tomarch forward as a cohesive body forging collaborative responses to thenumerous challenges facing the region and avoiding the negative fallouts fromthe ongoing trade tension and geo-political rivalries between the twosuperpowers, United States and China. 

Besides being amongthe few countries that are expected to experience positive economic growth in2020, Vietnam has demonstrated its strong capability in containing the virusoutbreak. Under its chairmanship, numerous initiatives have been rolled out in2020, including the conclusion of RCEP - a testimony to its significantcontribution to ASEAN.

“With an increasingdynamic economy, Vietnam is expected to be a leading growth engine for ASEANand a magnet for rising trade and investment among RCEP countries,” noted theMalaysian professor./.