Indonesian scholar highlights focuses for 36th ASEAN Summit
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian scholar Prof. Aleksius
Jemadu has said the 36th ASEAN Summit needs to focus on policy coordination
in response to COVID-19, regional stability in face of complicated developments
in the East Sea and promotion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP).
In a recent interview granted to Vietnam News
Agency, Prof. Jemadu, former Dean of Political and Social Sciences at Indonesia’s
Pelita Harapan University, said it is time for ASEAN to coordinate policies to
cope with and drive COVID-19 out of Southeast Asia.
He suggested that ASEAN leaders should have coordination policies at the regional level and share the
best practices to deal with the pandemic crisis while restoring economy;
improving trade, investment and tourism in the region.
With success in the fight against COVID-19, Vietnam
could share its experience with other ASEAN member states, he said.
In face of the complicated developments in the East
Sea, he said ASEAN needs to strengthen its diplomatic policies with China and
persuade the country to speed up negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East
Sea (COC), so as to prevent acts of escalation and unnecessary use of violence
in the sea.
The scholar also expected ASEAN to continue
maintaining its solidarity and spotlighting its central role in dealing with
issues related to regional stability in the East Sea.
As regional economy slowed down due to COVID-19, he
suggested ASEAN step up RCEP talks and persuade India to join the deal to “leave
no one behind” in inter-regional economic integration and cooperation process.
Jemadu hailed Vietnam for guiding ASEAN member
states to maintain the grouping’s central role and stability.
He believed that Vietnam is in the best position to
uphold the role of ASEAN leadership in this decisive time.
All ASEAN countries expect Vietnam to effectively
play its role in uniting ASEAN and prioritising the promotion of ASEAN’s central
role during its tenure as ASEAN Chair 2020, he said./.