US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (centre) addresses the virtual ASEAN - US Ministerial Meeting on August 4 (Photo: VNA) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration of President Joe Bidenattaches importance to the strategic partnership with the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and supports the bloc’s solidarity, unanimityand centrality, along with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
It wants to promote the dynamic and effective strategic partnership with ASEANon the basis of mutual respect and jointly building an open and inclusiveregional architecture of prosperous development, he said.
Blinken affirmed that the US will keep taking the lead in promotingmultilateral cooperation in COVID-19 response and increase the productioncapacity to ensure sufficient supply of safe and effective vaccines.
The US has provided funding of 160 million USD and will continue assistingcountries in the region to cope with the pandemic, he said, adding that it willdonate 500,000 USD to the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund.
As the coordinator of ASEAN - US relations, Lao Foreign Minister SaleumxayKommasith applauded the US’s commitment to bolstering its cooperation withASEAN and the region, advocating multilateral cooperation, helping to improvethe healthcare capacity of, and providing vaccines for ASEAN countries.
He also spoke highly the US’s temporary waiver on vaccine patents within theWorld Trade Organisation (WTO) framework.
Participating countries welcomed the recent cooperation progress despiteadverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bilateral trade reached 308.3 billion USD in 2020, turning the US into thesecond largest trade partner of ASEAN. Besides, the US remains the biggestforeign direct investor in the region with 34.7 billion USD.
ASEAN and the US agreed to continue giving priority to the pandemic responseand supporting sustainable recovery, focusing on stronger cooperation in trade,investment, digital transformation, and energy and via the US-fundeddevelopment cooperation programmes for the region.
ASEAN countries hope that the US will continue assisting them in COVID-19vaccine research, development, production, and distribution. The US alsoproposed enhancing cooperative ties in such fields as energy, transport, womenempowerment, and environment - climate change so as to contribute to even andsustainable recovery efforts.
Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (centre) attends the ASEAN - US Ministerial Meeting, held via videoconference on August 4 (Photo: VNA) The US emphasised its support for ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Seaissue, welcoming the bloc bringing into play its role in promoting cooperation,dialogue, and trust building in the region, ensuring the full and effectiveimplementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea(DOC), and building an efficient and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in theEast Sea in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Conventionon the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) with the rights and legitimate interests ofrelevant parties respected and properly mentioned.
The US Secretary of State lauded ASEAN’s role and efforts to step up dialogueand reconciliation in Myanmar and help the country seek solutions to stabiliseits situation. He also underlined support for the bloc to successfully carryout the Five-Point Consensus reached at the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting on April 24,2021.
Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Sonwelcomed the US’s extensive and intensive cooperation with ASEAN, stressing thecountry’s important role in global efforts against COVID-19 and climate change.
He highly valued the US’s provision of vaccines for ASEAN nations, includingVietnam, asking it to keep assisting the bloc to gain timely and sufficientaccess to vaccines and soon transfer vaccine production technology to thebloc’s members.
Vietnam expects the US to help the regional countries improve their preventivemedicine capacity via its regional representative office based in Vietnam, he said.
The ASEAN countries are ready to create optimal conditions for US enterprisesto expand investment and business in the region, Son noted, asking the US tocontinue helping the bloc narrow the development gap and ensure sustainablegrowth in ASEAN sub-regions, including the Mekong sub-region, and via theMekong - US Partnership.
The Vietnamese minister affirmed that countries, including ASEAN and the US,share interests and responsibilities in maintaining peace, stability, security,safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea.
He underlined that all parties need to show their goodwill of cooperation, actresponsibly, and jointly work towards the East Sea of peace, stability,security, safety, and protected environment.
Son also highlighted ASEAN’s consistent stance on the East Sea, stressing theimportance of building trust, exercising self-restraint, not militarising,peacefully resolving disputes on the basis of international law, including the1982 UNCLOS, promoting the full and effective implementation of the DOC, andsoon finalising an effective and practical COC in line with international lawand the 1982 UNCLOS.
He expects that the US will continue playing a constructive role, supportingASEAN’s efforts to sustain peace, stability, and freedom of navigation andoverflight in the East Sea, and backing the bloc’s efforts to seek solutions tothe Myanmar situation.
At the end of the event, part of the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting andrelated meetings, Indonesia officially assumed the role as coordinator of ASEAN- US relations for the 2021 - 2024 period./.
VNA
