The 9th ASEAN Regional Climate Outlook Forum (ASEANCOF-9) convened in Hanoi on November 15.

Singapore will focus on the themes of “resilience” and “innovation” when it takes the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018.

The 43rd Conference of the ASEAN Port Association (APA) opened in Vung Tau city, the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, drawing representatives of the ASEAN member countries, excepting for land-locked Laos.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has outlined his country’s key priorities when it chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018.

Leaders of the ASEAN member countries have signed the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers after 10 years of negotiations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has underscored the need to continue fostering and deepening ASEAN’s relations with India, focusing on optimizing projects on narrowing development gaps, strengthening connectivity and people-to-people contacts and broadening cooperation areas.

Leaders of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) reaffirmed their determination to soon reach a RCEP agreement between ASEAN and its six partners of Australia, China, the Republic of Korea, India, Japan and New Zealand.

China has shown a positive response to reduce tension in the East Sea, including ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation in disputed waters, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on November 13.

Tension on the Korean peninsula was high on the agenda at the 12th East Asia Summit (EAS) which took place in Manila, the Philippines, on November 14.

Cambodia has asked the US to consider converting the debt that Cambodia has owed to the country since the 1970s into development aid.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in on November 13 agreed to enhance bilateral ties and discussed measures to protect people of the two countries.

US President Donald Trump and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte vowed to support freedom of navigation and overflight.

ASEAN and China agreed on a 10-year plan through 2027 to protect the coasts and marine resources in the East Sea while trying to settle territorial disputes in the waters.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc led a Vietnamese delegation to the 9th Mekong-Japan Summit and the 9th ASEAN-UN Summit that took place in Manila, the Philippines, on November 13.