Delegates from ASEAN and the US take photo at the event (Source: //asean.org) Jakarta (VNA) – The ninth meeting of theASEAN-US Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) took place in early May in Jakarta,Indonesia, to take stock of their cooperation across a wide range of areas.
The two sides agreed that 2017 marked a bigstride forward in the 40-year bilateral ties.
The ASEAN appreciated USPresident Donald Trump’s attendance at meetings within the framework of the ASEANSummit in Manila, the Philippines, in November 2017 and hailed the workingvisit by US Vice President Mike Pence to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta inApril 2017 and the special meeting between ASEAN and US foreign ministers inMay 2017.
The US side affirmed that those events reiteratedits commitment to and policies on the region as well as its hope to strengthencoordination with the bloc to elevate the bilateral relations to a new height.
Regarding cooperation programmes, the two sidesnoted the positive progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN-US Plan ofAction in 2016-2020 with 91 out of the 130 lines of action (about 88 percent)being carried out in various fields such as dealing with cross-borderchallenges, increasing navigation cooperation, economic integration, and developmentcooperation, training young leaders, and promoting gender equality.
ASEAN called on the two sides to beef upcollaboration for the common goals of peace, security, stability and prosperityin the region, including in the East Sea.
The bloc proposed the US provide more support torealise the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and the Master Plan on ASEANConnectivity (MPAC) 2025.
The association also revealed its priorities in2018 which are building a resilient and innovative ASEAN Community, establishingthe ASEAN Smart Cities Network and promoting cyber security.
In reiterating its commitment to strengtheningrelations with ASEAN, the US underscored the important role that ASEAN hasplayed in maintaining peace and stability in the region, making ASEAN thecorner stone of the US’ open and free Indo-Pacific strategy.
The US pledged tocontinue supporting the central role of ASEAN and the implementation of ASEANdevelopment programmes and projects in the coming time.
Both sides underlined theimportance of security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation andstressed the need to follow principles of rule-based behaviours without use orthreat to use forces while restraining and settling peacefully any disputes inline with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of theSea (UNCLOS).
ASEAN and the US established relations in 1977 and elevated their ties to an EnhancedPartnership in 2005 and a Strategic Partnership in 2015.
The US was the first dialogue partner to sendits own ambassador and set up a permanent representative delegation in ASEAN inJune 2010.-VNA
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