The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) on February 5 published an article written by Kyle Springer, a Senior Analyst at the Perth USAsia Centre, saying that the outcomes of the freshly-ended 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam suggest continuity in leadership and policy.
Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin called for a coordinated and well-calibrated approach to regional challenges and stressed the importance of strengthening existing intra-ASEAN cooperation efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and General Secretary of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee Nguyen Quoc Dung has emphasized Vietnam’s leading role in the fight against the COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, and its efforts to enhance the bloc’s proactiveness in addressing regional challenges.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on February 20 suggested that the Mekong-Lancang cooperation (MLC) should contribute to consolidating coordination between countries in handling regional challenges and bringing about long-term benefits for people.
Vietnam will successfully perform its role as the ASEAN Chair in 2020, helping the bloc increase its prestige and position in the international area, according to Professor Aleksius Jemadu, Senior Lecturer at Pelita Harapan University.
Joint efforts of all countries are essential in order to address newly-emerged security challenges facing the region, said Major General Vu Tien Trong, head of the Institute of Intl Defence Relations.
US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter reasserted the US’s “rebalance” to the Asia-Pacific region will continue in the next US administration while chairing a meeting of ASEAN and US defence ministers.
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