ASEANews Headline-BRUSSELS: 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM): ASEM should pioneer multilateral co-operation: PM

BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to take a pioneering role in promoting multilateral co-operation and international order based on the law as well as global challenges.

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The Vietnamese Government leader was addressing the second plenary session of the 12th ASEM Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on October 19.

He suggested that Asia and Europe should work more closely together to deal with traditional and non-traditional challenges, maintaining peace, promoting dialogue and building trust.

ASEM should work for a more balanced economic-financial governance and make multilateral trade more open, transparent and inclusive, while enhancing the role of the World Trade Organisation, he said.

He also said ASEM should lead the way to realising commitments on climate change and natural disaster mitigation, sustainable management of natural resources, food and energy security.

At the same time, the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change needed to be accelerated, PM Phúc said, adding that developed members of ASEM should support developing countries access financial resources, technology and investment in green energy.

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ASEM should make more efforts to reduce plastic waste, which was seriously threatening the maritime ecosystem and oceans, he said.

The PM also stressed the need to promote inclusive socio-economic co-operation, while focusing more on sustainable poverty reduction, high quality education and human resources development in the digital era.

Việt Nam would increase its financial contributions to the Asia-Europe Fund from 2019, he stated, adding ASEM should share experience in inspiring innovation potential, while assisting vulnerable groups in society, especially women and girls, in accessing digital technology, adapting to changes and responding to risks.

PM Phúc said Việt Nam was striving to approve the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, sign a free trade agreement with the EU and complete negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in late 2018.

Việt Nam was also working hard to prepare for the role of ASEAN Chair in 2020 he said, expressing his hope to receive support from ASEM members in running for the position of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-21 tenure.

Affirming Việt Nam’s interest in ASEM co-operation, the PM proposed hosting the ASEM Conference to promote inclusive socio-economic growth in Asia and Europe and another on strengthening the digital economy amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution in 2019.

After attending ASEM, the Prime Minister and his entourage arrived in Copenhagen to start his official visit the Denmark at the invitation of his Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen.— VNS

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