At the meeting (Photo: https://asean.org) The meeting acknowledged that the ASEAN-US longstanding partnership has expanded to cover a wide range of areas of cooperation across the three pillars of the ASEAN Community.
Officials from both sides also noted the progress in implementing the ASEAN-US Plan of Action (2021-2025) in supporting ASEAN Community-building efforts and promoting peace, security, and prosperity in the region.
They discussed areas where robust and meaningful collaboration could be further enhanced including maritime cooperation; combatting transnational crime, human trafficking and cyber security; digital economy, trade, investment, and financial stability; micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME); energy security; science and technology as well as climate-friendly transportation technologies; smart cities; and sustainable infrastructure and connectivity.
The two sides also looked forward to the adoption of the Annex to the ASEAN-US Plan of Action later this year.
Discussing future cooperation, the two sides shared the significance of enhancing cooperation in the four key areas outlined in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). They also highlighted the importance of deepening sub-regional cooperation and supporting the Initiative for ASEAN Integration; as well as collaborating on emerging areas such as regional health resilience, environment and climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture and food security, among others.
The US announced the status of bipartisan legislation named the Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations (PARTNER) with ASEAN Act which was approved by the US House of Representatives in March 2023. It reaffirmed its commitment to support Timor-Leste as an Observer of ASEAN./.
VNA
