Tokyo (VNA) - Vietnam successfully accomplishedits role as ASEAN Chair 2020 in the context of COVID-19’s impact being beyondimagination, the Director of the Vietnam Economic Research Institute (VERI),Hiroyuki Moribe, has said.

In an interview with a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Japan, he saidVietnam had responded well to the pandemic by deciding to hold the ASEAN Summitvia video conference.

As ASEAN Chair, it assumed the burden of responsibility for leading the bloc inoutlining measures to address a wide range of important issues, he said, addingthat many countries have lauded Vietnam’s coordination capacity in organisingthe summit, which involved the participation of powerful nations such as China,Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Hailing the theme of ASEAN 2020 - “Cohesive & Responsive” - Moribe said it wassuitable with the circumstances and the summit, which saw parties adopt theASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework to cope with the outbreak.

Though COVID-19 drove many nations to carry out a “country first” policy,Vietnam maintained the uninterrupted operations of production supply chains andpromoted the signing of a number of free trade agreements.

The ASEAN Chair 2020 also maintained stability amid fierce competition betweenthe US and China, and thanks to its performance, the country will attract moreforeign investment in the time ahead, he said.

Other sectors will be also promoted, as there have been so few coronaviruscases in Vietnam, he added.

Touching on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Moribe saidthe pact was signed without the participation of India - a regional countrywith a large population.

India’s return to the RCEP would bring substantial benefits to ASEAN countries,he believes, since it will be much easier for the bloc to control the tradepact.

China, a member of the RCEP, is thought to gain a bigger market share and have anincreasing influence over ASEAN in the future, so how ASEAN member statesmaintain relations with the country is of utmost importance.

He expressed a hope that Vietnam and other ASEAN states would work closely withJapan to create a free trade agreement that brings more benefits to ASEAN. Hesuggested that Hanoi, where the RCEP was signed, can be a good choice to housethe RCEP headquarters.

Regarding the response to an increasingly complex international environment dueto political-geographic competition between powers and also the pandemic, hesuggested that together with the US and China, ASEAN, as a global hub ofdeveloping economies, be more proactive in identifying measures to resolve globalissues.

The bloc needs further cooperation with China, Japan, and the Republic of Koreato reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote digital transformation, he said,adding that links with powerful countries, coupled with solidarity andunification, would shape ASEAN’s influence./.