Vientiane (VNA) –♌ Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on ASEAN member nations to foster unity and take resilience as the foundation to enter a new phase of development with new thinking and momentum, and refreshed outlook, in his keynote speech at the plenary session of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits which opened in Vientiane on October 9.

The Vietnamese government leader expressed his gratitude for the support and solidarity shown by ASEAN countries in addressing the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi which affected several nations, including Vietnam. He emphasised that the spirit of unity and mutual assistance, embodied in the principle of "one for all, all for one", remains the core value and source of strength for ASEAN. In the context of an increasingly volatile world with great challenges, ASEAN remains a global economic bright spot, a bridge for dialogue and cooperation, and a central player in integration and association processes in the region, he said, noting that frameworks related to digital economy, blue economy, and circular economy are gradually shaping new cooperation contents in the region.

Chinh stressed that more than ever, ASEAN must use resilience as a foundation for growth, connectivity as a focus for breakthroughs, and innovation as a driving force for leadership. Based on this, he shared key strategic directions for ASEAN's future development.

According to the Vietnamese leader, resilience and strategic autonomy are the foundations for ASEAN to stand firm amidst all fluctuations and overcome any challenges. ASEAN needs to strengthen solidarity and unity in diversity; uphold its norms of conduct; maintain its principled stance on international and regional issues; enhance its resilience; leverage internal resources to maintain internal strategic stability; and respond promptly to external risks.

Chinh said fostering internal connectivity combined with external connectivity, public-private partnerships, and multi-sectoral linkages, with a focus on infrastructure, institutional, and human connectivity is a strategic breakthrough for ASEAN.

Accordingly, it needs to promote investment in high-quality infrastructure projects, especially both "hard" and "soft" strategic infrastructure, encouraging the participation and cooperation of third parties and external partners. The group should also enhance institutional harmonisation to facilitate the trade of goods and services, and investment cooperation. Furthermore, ASEAN must advance human connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, making it easier for citizens, entrepreneurs, and workers to travel.

Innovation is a driving force and motivation for ASEAN to catch up with, keep pace with, and make strides in the region and the world, Chinh said.

He urged ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in developing an innovation ecosystem; establish regional digital cooperation frameworks; and concurrently develop governance criteria for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. He noted that ASEAN needs to prioritise human factors as the centre, subject, goal, resource, and impetus of innovation, focusing on strengthening collaboration in education and training high-quality human resources to meet the demands of the new era.

Chinh expressed his belief that Timor-Leste's upcoming ASEAN membership will further strengthen the resilience of ASEAN and the region.

ASEAN must maintain its central, independent, and balanced role; as well as principled behaviour in implementing foreign relations, expanding and diversifying partnerships based on ensuring effectiveness, substance, and mutual benefit, he said.

With a desire to make more contributions to regional cooperation, Vietnam will continue to host the ASEAN Future Forum 2024, the Vietnamese leader said, expressing his hope for other countries’ support for Vietnam to successfully organise this event.

He took the occasion to affirm that Vietnam supports and closely collaborates with Malaysia in its role as ASEAN Chair in 2025.

Speaking at the event, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn stated that master plans for building ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision have entered the final implementation phase, noting a high execution rate across all three pillars, particularly in the Political-Security Community with 99.6%.

ASEAN maintains a positive growth momentum, and continues to be an attractive investment destination, with total foreign direct investment in 2023 hitting 230 billion USD, ranking second after the US.

Frameworks such as the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), the ASEAN Blue Economy Framework, and the ASEAN Circular Economy Framework serve as a foundation for the bloc to quickly catch up with new development trends, creating momentum for quality and sustainable growth in the future, he said.

Leaders of ASEAN members congratulated Laos – the ASEAN Chair 2024, on positive results achieved in 2024, and highly valued initiatives and priorities implemented across all three pillars of the Community.

They agreed on the necessity to further specify and deepen the content of connectivity and resilience in cooperation strategies for the coming time, towards improving ASEAN's adaptability to current complex changes.

ꦕ Applauding the new progress in cooperation between ASEAN and its partner countries, participants agreed on the need to maintain ASEAN's strategic balance in implementing external relations and urged partners to respect ASEAN's central role, to work with ASEAN to promote values of dialogue, cooperation, and trust, to uphold the rule of law, and to contribute constructively and responsibly to peace, security, and stability./.