Vietnam’s commitments to the building of the ASEAN Community were updated at a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 8.

Participants at the event, hosted by the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, heard that the ASEAN Community, expected to be formed in late 2015, will have direct impact on not only the region’s political security, economic and socio-cultural issues but also the development strategies of each member country, including Vietnam .

According to the department, ASEAN countries are exerting efforts to complete institutions and policies towards the formation of the community, which will be based on three pillars, namely politics-security, economics, and socio-culture. Its aim is to create a peaceful environment, and a common and equal market among nations.

It is necessary to update Vietnam’s commitments to this community as its formation deadline is approaching, said Nguyen Tien Minh, head of the ASEAN Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Once the community is established, each member country must realise its commitments, so suitable development strategies are needed to take advantage of opportunities and deal with challenges from this formation, he noted.

Sharing his views with Minh, Nguyen Son from the Office of the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that 2014 and 2015 are important transitional years for Vietnam ’s international economic integration as it is engaging in negotiations for the signing of a series of trade agreements.

To help the ASEAN Community practically contribute to the development of Vietnam, one of the necessary measures is to strengthen information on the building and formation of the ASEAN Community, he said.-VNA