Singapore (VNA) - Vietnam has successfully fulfilled itsrole as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 and made significant contributions to the region,according to Hoang Thi Ha, an expert from the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute ofSingapore.

She told the Vietnam News Agency that the successful containment ofCOVID-19 is Vietnam’s most outstanding achievement, helping it acquire unprecedentedstature and prestige in the world and also creating a prerequisite for thecountry to fulfil its tasks as ASEAN Chair.

Talking about Vietnam’s important contributions, she said the countrymade proactive and timely moves to switch from face-to-face meetings toteleconferences in April, and the staff in charge of ASEAN cooperation atministries and sectors quickly adapted to chairing events and activitiesonline.

This was not easy since the bloc’s traditional way of working is meetingfrequently in person, based on which friendly relations are built to promoteconsensus, according to Ha.

A remarkable attainment from these efforts was the signing of theRegional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) after eight years of toughnegotiations, she said, describing this as demonstration of political resolve,coordination efforts, cooperative spirit, and mutual compromise to maintainmultilateral free trade, which has been under pressure from growingprotectionism around the world.

Besides, the expert added Vietnam has also helped promote an array ofregional cooperation agreements and initiatives on urgent issues, including theASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies, theASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and implementation plan, and the ASEANCentre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases.

If carried out effectively, these initiatives will make practicalcontributions to anti-pandemic efforts of member states and hold greatpolitical significance, highlighting the bloc’s solidarity and cooperation amidthe crisis - in line with the theme of “Cohesive & Responsive” Vietnamchose for its ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020.

During the interview, Ha said that in a very complex regionalgeostrategic context, Vietnam has played an important role in maintainingASEAN’s stance of being independent and “not choosing sides”, which doesn’tmean keeping rigid neutrality or passive diplomacy.

As shown in the ASEAN statement on the importance of maintaining peaceand stability in Southeast Asia, adopted in August, the bloc’s neutrality isbased on adherence to international law and the maintenance of an open andinclusive regional order, in which the presence and cooperation of majorcountries are welcomed so that the region will not be a backyard of or speciallyinfluenced by any nation.

Vietnam has also taken the lead in promoting a principled stance on theEast Sea issue in ASEAN, which is anchored in international law, particularlythe 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Ha noted./.