Bangkok (VNA) – Prime Minister andDefence Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha suggested several areas ofASEAN’s cooperation with the US, Australia, and New Zealand at online summitson November 14.

At the 8th ASEAN-US Summit, the Thai PM said theUS is a strategic partner of ASEAN.

ASEAN wishes to see the US’s constructive rolein promoting the bloc’s centrality and solidarity as well as a new strategicbalance in the Indo-Pacific region, which will help create a trustworthyenvironment beneficial to the region’s economic recovery and resilience in thelong term, according to him.

He suggested three practical cooperation areasthat the two sides should further step up: promoting public health security,global and regional economic recovery, and human capital development.

At the 2nd ASEAN-Australia Biennial Summit, PMPrayut Chan-o-cha emphasised the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic,recommending both ASEAN and Australia work together and maintainmultilateralism, which is key to seeking ways to escape from the crisis towardscomplete recovery.

Suggesting cooperation areas to create a basisfor sustainable economic growth in the region, he pointed out the need tostrengthen cooperation in digital economy so as to build an inclusive digitalsociety, and to boost ties in the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy.

The Thai leader added the ASEAN Centrefor Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) hadbeen established in Bangkok as a cooperation foundation for encouraging studiesas well as dialogue and cooperation in sustainable development in ASEAN andbetween the bloc and external partners.

The BCG cooperation between ASEAN and Australiacan be fostered via this centre, he suggested.

Meanwhile, at the ASEAN-New ZealandCommemorative Summit, PM Prayut expressed his belief that New Zealand, one ofthe most long-standing dialogue partners of ASEAN, will maintain closerelations with the grouping.

He noted although the world is undergoing one ofthe toughest challenges of the era amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN and NewZealand can manage to overcome this crisis together via cooperation in publichealth and human security in the government, academic and civil societysectors.

Both can ensure effective post-pandemicsocio-economic recovery by using the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund and othermechanisms led by the bloc and the country, he said, inviting New Zealand tojoin ASEAN member states in sustainable development projects via the ACSDSD,set up in Thailand last year.

The three summits were part of the 37th ASEANSummit and related meetings held via videoconference by Vietnam as Chair of thebloc in 2020./.