Hanoi (VNA) – Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son chaired the high-level policydialogue of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi on June 22. The followingis the full text of the Foreign Minister’s opening remark at the event.

Excellencies,
Ladiesand gentlemen,

1.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the High-levelPolicy Dialogue: “ASEM at 25 – Strengthening Asia-Europe Partnership in aTransforming world”, directly from Ha Noi and virtually from across Asia andEurope.

Your participations and presence, including Ministers,representatives of government agencies, scholars, businesses, and communitystakeholders from the member countries, vividly demonstrate our shared resolveto promote an Asia-Europe partnership for peace, stability and prosperity.

A special welcome to our colleagues from the Republic of Korea,Singapore and the UK - who grace this conference with your direct participationsin Hanoi - a positive sign that we finally start to emerge from the pandemic.

2.
Ladies and gentlemen,

Marking the anniversary of 25 years of partnership, ASEM can beproud of its remarkable achievements and progress.

Starting with the vision to build a “New comprehensiveAsia-Europe Partnership for Greater Growth”, ASEM has developed into a leadinginter-regional cooperation mechanism for peace, stability and prosperity. Leveragingthe strengths of member countries, the Forum has grown robustly. Its membershiphas enlarged and areas of cooperation have expanded over the years. ASEMmembers have benefited from close cooperation on issues of great importance tothe development of the regions, such as the transfer of knowledge and best practices, andsocio–cultural and intellectual exchanges.

But as we convene here today to commemorate ASEM’s success, theworld is witnessing profound transformation in all aspects as a result ofscientific and technological breakthroughs, geo-economic and geo-politicalshifts, and the emergence of new, complex, inter-related traditional andnon-traditional security challenges. Above all, the Covid-19 pandemic iscausing a prolonged global health crisis, which is reshaping the way we live,work and interact with each other.

We also see numerous hurdles standing in the way ofinternational cooperation, including protectionism, unilateralism, andbehaviors that erode international laws for narrow-minded interests.

In such rapidly changing and complex world, Asia - Europepartnership and cooperation is more important than ever. It is, in fact,indispensable to the world’s stability and prosperity.

Our regions are home to the world’s biggest and most dynamiceconomies, accounting for 60% of the world population, 65% of the global GDPand 55% of the international trade; where many of the world’s political, scientificand technology centers cluster. Our regions for decades have been the incubatorof successful cooperation ideas at regional and global levels.

Indeed, there’s ample room for ASEM partnership to expand since muchof the tremendous potential for Asia - Europe cooperation remains untapped.Looking ahead, we need to make the most of Asia’s fast-growing economies and Europe’sstrength as a global powerhouse of technology, science, creativity andinnovations. This synergy can fuel the next phase of our joint incrediblegrowth and development for the new era.

3.
But in the face of mounting challenges of the time, in order forASEM to continue to succeed in the next 25 years, we need to demonstratestronger resolve, take bolder actions, and choose an appropriate path to moveforward. It is important for ASEM to prioritize areas that meet the developmentneeds of its member countries, pay due attention to confidence-buildingmeasures, and contribute through concrete actions to the global restructuringprocess towards inclusive and sustainable development.

To this end, I wish to highlight three major objectives for ASEMcooperation in the coming decades:

First, ASEM needs to contributeto the maintenance of a favorable international environment of peace, stability,dialogue and trust. In this new era of development, we look forward to ASEM’sexpanded efforts to increase international understanding and build trust. ASEM shouldalso play a critical role in promoting multilateralism and the UN-centeredinternational system, upholding international law, and addressing globalchallenges. Moreover, the Forum needs to assert its pioneering role in helpingshape a global governance system of greater effectiveness, fairness, and moredemocratic.

Second, ASEM should play a leading role and make greater efforts toenhance sustainable and inclusive development. Our top priority should be tosupport member countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals underthe 2030 Agenda, and to step up cooperation in such areas as climate changeresponse, environmental protection, water resource management, circulareconomy, and high-quality human resource development.

Third, ASEM needs to lay a solid foundation for sustainable, enduring,and mutually beneficial economic ties between Asia and Europe. EnhancingAsia-Europe economic connectivity will bring benefits to all and needs to beimplemented in sync across all sectors from trade, investment, finance,industries to regional connectivity and digital economy. Such endeavor hasbecome highly relevant, particularly at a time when our economies are strivingto rebound from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.
Ladies and gentlemen,

Viet Nam is a founding member of ASEM, and Asia-Europecooperation continues to be a priority of Viet Nam’s foreign policy. In theyears to come, Viet Nam is committed to working closer with ASEM members infostering the dynamic and thriving Asia-Europe partnership for global peace andstability, and for the prosperity of both continents.

Our dialogue today is a chance for us to take stock of our25-year journey together and explore the different trajectories of cooperationin the future. It is high time we subscribe to a new vision which instills ASEMwith new drivers and vitality and carve out for it a befitting role in theevolving regional and global architecture.


In this regard, I suggest that our deliberations today focus onthe following key issues:

First, identify the major trends and factors that impact theAsia-Europe cooperation in the next decade as well as the difficulties andchallenges ahead;

Second, position Asia-Europe cooperation in the new global landscapeand explore how best we can deepen our engagement and cooperation. The currentpandemic and global health crisis is a case in point. We could make greaterefforts to assist one another in sharing, joint development and production ofvaccines against Covid-19 as some of our members have done so generously inrecent time.  

This should be among the items high on ASEM's agenda. And Ithink all of us would appreciate such kind gestures of assistance in ourindividual and collective fights against Covid-19;

Last but not least, identify areas for cooperation and implementation measures sothat ASEM can make the best use of its strength for our shared peace,stability, and prosperity in this transforming world. Preparedness for futurehealth emergencies comes immediately to mind in this regard.

5.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

With your active supports and insightful contributions, I amconfident that our Dialogue will be a great success. The outcomes of ourDialogue today will provide valuable inputs to shape the vision and directionsfor the future of Asia-Europe cooperation at the upcoming 13th ASEM Summit.

Thank you./.