Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc led a delegation of high-raking officials to attend the 32nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore on Saturday.

Following his official visit to Singapore from April 25 to 27, the Vietnamese premier continued his agenda by joining the significant event aimed at tightening unity and cooperation within the bloc.

ASEAN is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Speaking at the summit, PM Phuc stated that ASEAN needs to maintain its central role in the region through strengthening the bloc’s collective resilience, solidarity, and unity.

The association should enhance its role as the locomotive in bolstering economic linkage in the region, he continued.

The leader welcomed the positive outcomes of the inter-Korea summit on April 27, considering it an important step forward in the process of denuclearization in the Korean peninsula.

Regarding situation in the East Vietnam Sea, the bloc must continue upholding basic principles and making efforts to expedite the establishment of an effective and legally-binding Code of Conduct (COC) for peace and stability in the maritime area, Phuc said.

According to Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong, ASEAN is entering a new phase of development in the context of rapid changes in regional and international situation, prompting the need to continue strengthening ASEAN’s unity and reinforcing its central role. 

Member countries will work together to implement cooperation orientations defined in building a network of smart cities and enhancing cyber security cooperation, he added.

On the evening of the same day, PM Phuc and joined other ASEAN leaders at the plenary meeting of the 32nd ASEAN Summit under the chair of Singaporean PM Lee.

The delegates discussed cooperation in prioritized fields, noting the need to strengthen intra-bloc partnership in economic matters, trade, and investment, and to expand regional economic links and cooperation with partners. 

They also agreed to continue fostering a favorable business environment and support small- and medium-sized enterprises and startups, developing regional connectivity, and narrowing development gap within the region. 

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!