Jakarta (VNA) – Vietnam will play an increasingly important role in advancing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, Senior Coordinator at the Indonesian Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (LESPERSSI) Beni Sukadis told the Vietnam News Agency.
As an active, proactive and responsible member of ASEAN, Vietnam has already proved it can forge consensus, spur cooperation and maintain balance amid an increasingly complex regional geopolitical landscape, he said.
He added that ASEAN will continue expanding cooperation into emerging areas, including digital transformation, the green economy, climate change response, cybersecurity, maritime security and other non-traditional security challenges where Vietnam has considerable potential to contribute and, in some cases, assume a leading role.
He pointed to Vietnam's progress in the green economy and electric vehicle industry as an invaluable reference for other ASEAN member states to accelerate regional green transition.
Sukadis also commended Vietnam’s consistent support for ASEAN centrality, multilateralism and international law, arguing that Vietnam's sustained contributions will bolster the bloc’s solidarity, cooperation and standing amid rapidly evolving global and regional landscapes.
The 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) this year offers a chance to reflect on the principles that have underpinned the bloc’s solidarity for half a century, Sukadis said. Preserving ASEAN’s cohesion and centrality, he stressed, hinges on continued adherence to the TAC’s core principles, including ASEAN centrality, respect for sovereignty of member states, consensus-based decision-making and the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue.
In a rapidly shifting strategic environment, steadfast adherence to these principles should be accompanied by greater flexibility in decision-making and cooperation to respond more effectively to competition among major powers, geopolitical shocks and transnational threats. Adaptability, he said, means upholding the TAC’s core values while applying them in a more flexible and pragmatic manner.
The expert also urged ASEAN to deepen economic integration and digital transformation, build more resilient supply chains, expand maritime security cooperation and strengthen mutual trust. With major-power rivalry intensifying, he said the bloc must reinforce its centrality while maintaining balanced, independent ties with all partners and refusing to side with any one particular side.
That foundation, he added, is essential to realising the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and preserving its central role in the regional architecture.
Commenting on the TAC’s value after five decades, Sukadis said the treaty’s principles, including non-interference in internal affairs, respect for sovereignty, consensus and peaceful settlement of disputes, remain the bedrock of peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
The priority now, he went on, is not to revise those principles but to apply them with greater flexibility and effectiveness to new challenges such as cyberattacks, transnational crime, climate change, pandemics and other non-traditional security threats.
In his view, ASEAN should tighten coordination, improve information sharing, build institutional capacity and pursue substantive cooperation across both traditional and non-traditional security domains. The TAC is not just a statement of principles but a practical guide for tackling emerging challenges.
Over the next five years, Sukadis said ASEAN must push economic integration further, sharpen its competitive edge and accelerate its digital economy as the global digital transformation gathers pace. It should simultaneously build more shock-resistant supply chains, strengthen infrastructure links and safeguard food and energy security.
He called for narrowing the development gap through increased investment, innovation and the cultivation of a highly skilled workforce to spread the benefits of integration more evenly.
Cybersecurity, maritime security, the fight against transnational crime, climate change response and disaster management must all move up the priority list, he added./.
