Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined fellow Southeast Asian leaders and US President Donald Trump for the 13th ASEAN-US Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 26, outlining four key orientations to advance ASEAN-US relations substantively and effectively.
In his speech, PM Chinh congratulated President Trump on the US’s recent standout achievements and commended his diplomatic efforts to foster dialogue and the peaceful settlement of global conflicts. He particularly highlighted US cooperation with Malaysia - this year’s ASEAN Chair, and other member states in facilitating dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand that led to their joint declaration.
He hailed the US as one of ASEAN’s most comprehensive strategic partners, with strong commitment to stronger ties. His proposed four priorities include fostering economic, trade, and investment linkages toward balanced, harmonious and sustainable trade; enhancing collaboration in digital transformation, innovation, and energy security, especially in energy infrastructure connectivity and nuclear energy cooperation for peaceful purposes; boosting cybersecurity and efforts against transnational crime, building on the US’s initiatives to combat online fraud and Vietnam’s push to track and apprehend wanted criminals, and enhancing coordination to maintain regional peace, security, and stability.
ASEAN and the US share common interests and responsibilities to maintain peace, stability, and development across the region, including the East Sea, for the benefit of all nations and their people, he said.
He reaffirmed ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Sea issue, including the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
President Trump, in his address, affirmed Southeast Asia’s pivotal position in the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy, stressing that the US will remain a steadfast partner and friend of regional countries.
The US wishes to deepen its partnership with ASEAN, not only in economy, trade, energy, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) but also for peace, stability, and prosperity for all regional nations, as well as for the benefit of their people and future generations, he said.
He affirmed that the US stands ready to cooperate with and support ASEAN in addressing shared challenges, based on respect for the bloc’s central role and the legitimate interests of its member states.
Leaders noted that ASEAN-US relations are on a strong upward trajectory, with two-way trade reaching 453 billion USD in 2024, accounting for 11.8% of ASEAN’s total trade. The US ranks as ASEAN’s second largest trade partner and its top source of foreign direct investment. The completion of the 2021-2025 Action Plan has driven cooperation in politics-security, transnational crime prevention, maritime security, trade and investment, transport, agriculture, and science and technology, with the US backing the next-generation ASEAN Single Window (ASW 2.0) trade platform and committing to further technical support.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to effectively advancing ongoing initiatives and cooperation programmes to further deepen the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with high priority given to such strategic areas as quality trade and investment, finance, infrastructure connectivity, the digital economy, energy, and cybersecurity, aiming to foster a region of peace, security, stability and prosperity.
The summit concluded with the adoption of the ASEAN-US Leaders’ Joint Vision Statement to Promote Stronger, Safer, and More Prosperous ASEAN and America./.
