Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung has stated thatthe 33rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Singapore have beensuccessful and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc actively participated in allsummit activities.

Duringan interview granted to the press, Deputy FM Dung said the PM attended theplenary session of the 33rd ASEAN Summit, summits between ASEAN and China,Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, Russia, Australia, and India, the ASEAN Plus3 meeting with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the East Asia Summit,and the meeting of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)member states.

ThePM proposed specific measures to build a peaceful, safe, rules-based andpeople-oriented ASEAN during the 33rd ASEAN Summit and relatedmeetings that recently wrapped up in Singapore.

ThePM also reiterated Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea issue as well as regionaland global issues, he said.

Duringmeetings, leaders affirmed that amid complicated developments in the world,ASEAN needs a common voice to strengthen connectivity and promote a multilateraltrade system, and maintain its central role and principles of protecting peaceand stability, and respect of law in the region and the world.

Theyadopted 63 documents to lay a foundation for ASEAN cooperation and itscollaboration with partner countries in the fields of politics, security,economy, and socio-culture in coming years.

Dungsaid participating countries expressed support to trade liberalisation,unilateralism prevention and determination to conclude negotiations on RCEP in2019.

AboutChina’s proposal to conclude the negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the EastSea (COC) within the next three years, Dung said the negotiations need afavourable environment towards reaching a practical and effective COC in compliancewith international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of theSea, making effective contributions to peace, stability and security in theregion in general and in the East Sea in particular.

Ontechnological application amid the fourth industrial revolution, the Deputy FMsaid PM Phuc continued promoting several initiatives presented at the WorldEconomic Forum on ASEAN 2018, especially those regarding digital connectivityand data sharing.

Hehighlighted the need to create a common digital platform to strengthen digitalconnectivity among the ASEAN member states and build an early forecastmechanism relating to financial, monetary and commercial risks, Dung said.

Accordingto the Deputy FM, all eight dialogue countries joining the East Asia Summit arestrategic partners of ASEAN. Many others also want to join the Treaty on Amityand Cooperation in Southeast Asia, proving the bloc’s improving stature.

Onthe sidelines of meetings, PM Phuc met bilaterally with leaders from Australia,Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and the US, whileDeputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also met his Cambodiancounterpart, during which they expressed wish to lift ties with Vietnam to agreater height.

PMPhuc and the leaders discussed specific measures to increase the exchange ofvisits, promote economic, trade, investment, labour, culture-education,national defence-security ties, protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad, thesettlement of concerns of each side, cooperation within the ASEAN framework,and multilateral mechanisms in the region and the world.-VNA