WashingtonD.C. (VNA) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he hopesmajor powers, who are all partners to the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN), to work towards stable relations and responsible, healthycompetition, for the sake of regional and global peace and security.

The Vietnamese Government leader made the statement as he addressed the highlyanticipated ASEAN – US Special Summit on May 13 (US time). The summit includesa meeting between ASEAN leaders and US President Joe Biden, a session betweenASEAN leaders and US Vice President Kamala Harris on maritime security andCOVID-19, and a session between ASEAN leaders and the US cabinet on climate,clean energy, and infrastructure.

US leaders have announced a range of proposals and initiatives for cooperationwith ASEAN. The US will invest 40 million USD to finance the development ofclean energy infrastructure, another 40 million USD to strengthen maritimecooperation, 150 million USD to implement the ASEAN-US Health Futuresinitiative, provide support for ASEAN’s climate change response capacityenhancement and infrastructure development, and 70 million USD for educationalprogrammes and people-to-people exchanges.

ASEAN leaders thanked the US for its proactive support in responding toCOVID-19, helping to improve disease response capacity, providing vaccines, andrecently establishing the Southeast Asia Regional Office of the US Centres forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Hanoi, Vietnam. ASEAN member statesexpect the US to continue backing ASEAN’s pandemic prevention initiatives.

Recognising that the global and regional situation continues to witnesscomplicated developments with many new challenges arising, ASEAN and the USaffirmed to work closely together to contribute to the maintenance of peace,security and stability in the region, including security, safety and freedom ofnavigation and overflight in the East Sea. The US affirmed its support forASEAN’s stance on the East Sea issue, welcomed ASEAN's efforts to promotecooperation, dialogue, and confidence-building in the region, andstrive to build an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea(COC) in line with international law, and the 1982 United Nations Convention onthe Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Regarding the situation in Myanmar, the countries called for restraint,reducing tensions and violence, ensuring people’s safety and the fullimplementation of ASEAN’s Five-point Consensus, and welcomed the ASEAN Chair’sefforts to support Myanmar in stabilising the situation and finding sustainablesolutions to current problems.

With regard to Ukraine, as for all nations, the US and ASEAN reaffirmed theirrespect for sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity,while calling for compliance with the UN Charter and international law topeacefully handle conflicts.

During the session chaired by US President Joe Biden, PM Pham Minh Chinhthanked the warm and stately welcome of the US.

Looking back on the past 45years, ASEAN-US cooperation had made great strides, making importantcontributions to promoting dialogue, building trust, and maintaining peace,security, stability, and development in the region, he noted.

In the face of complex and unpredictable developments in the region and theworld, PM Chinh emphasised the need to continue to promote frank dialogue onthe basis of trust and responsibility, solidarity, cooperation, controllingdisagreements and upholding the law, to contribute to the realisation of aworld of peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperous development.

PM Chinh expressed his hope that major powers and ASEAN’s partners, could bringtheir relations into a stable state in a healthy and responsible manner, and atthe same time contribute to Southeast Asia in keeping with the spirit oftransparency, constructiveness, with the utmost respect for ASEAN’s centralrole, full consultation with ASEAN, respect for international law, to helpcontribute to peace, security, and stability in the region and the world.

Vietnam reaffirmed ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Sea issue, emphasisingthe peaceful resolution of all disputes and differences based on internationallaw, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

PM Chinh said Vietnam welcomed all partners’ support for ASEAN to fully andeffectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea(DOC), and to build an effective and substantive COC consistent withinternational law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

At the Summit’s session onmaritime security and COVID-19, PM Chinh welcomed the US initiatives tostrengthen maritime cooperation with the region.

He also stressed that allcountries, including ASEAN countries and the US, shared the importance and interestsin guaranteeing peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation andoverflight in the East Sea, considered a major lifeline of the world’s maritimetrade.

PM Chinh thanked the US for its support for Vietnam’s COVID-19 pandemic response,including the provision of COVID-19 vaccines for Vietnam.

Mentioning Vietnam’sachievements in pandemic control and the ongoing economic recovery, theVietnamese Government leader emphasised building a global approach toaddressing global issues.

PM Chinh stated that the pandemic had an impact on everyone, so it wasnecessary to have a people-centric approach, with consideration to the healthand lives of the people being the top priority, and that people should beplaced at the centre of pandemic response and in the post-pandemic recoveryprocesses.

He urged the US to continue tosupport ASEAN in disease prevention and control, especially in the transfer ofvaccine and medication production technology, improving healthcare systemcapacity and healthcare workers’ quality, as well as assist ASEAN countries,including Vietnam, in taking care of and providing support for the vulnerablegroups most affected by COVID-19.

Addressing the session on climate, PM Chinh expressed his hope that the USwould continue to advance effective cooperation within the frameworkof theMekong-US Partnership, contributing to ensuring equitable and sustainabledevelopment in the region.

The Vietnamese PM also praised countries’ cooperative efforts in responding toclimate change, through economic structural transformation, application ofscientific and technical advances, development of renewable energy, promotionof clean energy transition, the building of high-quality infrastructure, andshifts towards green and sustainable development.

At the end of the SpecialSummit, the leaders of the countries adopted a Joint Vision Statementreflecting the results achieved in the past 45 years and setting futuredirections.

In particular, US and ASEAN arecommitted to establishing an ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership thatis substantive, effective and mutually beneficial at the 10th ASEAN-US Summitslated for November 2022, and look forward to the early completion of thenecessary procedures./.