Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday highlighted challenges faced this year by Southeast Asian and other nations as he opened the ASEAN summit, which is largely being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The biannual summit, chaired by Vietnam this year, is expected to focus on a range of topics, including South China Sea disputes, COVID-19 and trade.
The spread of the virus is apparent, with Cambodia being represented by its deputy prime minister rather than long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is self-quarantining after being exposed to a visiting Hungarian minister who had COVID-19.
Photo: EPA-EFE
During his remarks at the opening ceremony, which was livestreamed to ASEAN leaders watching from their respective countries, Phuc highlighted challenges being faced during a year of unparalleled health crisis and regional instability.
“This year, peace and security have been facing greater threat as the result of compounding risk rising from the unpredictable conduct of states, major power rivalry and frictions that challenged the international multilateral system, increasingly non-traditional security issues and the rise of extremist tendency,” Phuc said in front of about 200 Vietnamese officials and foreign diplomats of ASEAN’s partners attending the ceremony in Hanoi.
Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong called for trust among nations for the benefit of their people, as the pandemic causes havoc to people’s lives and the economy.
“More than ever, nations all over the world need peace, stability and development,” Trong said. “Its people need to be cared for and protected to overcome this difficult time.”
Yesterday’s meetings included separate summits with leaders from China, South Korea and India.
ASEAN leaders also had their first summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
An ASEAN-US summit is scheduled for tomorrow, but the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not confirmed whether US President Donald Trump would attend the online meeting.
Trump attended the summit in 2017, but only sent representatives to attend the past two meetings.
A separate meeting of participants in a trade initiative backed by China is scheduled for Sunday, where the leaders of 15 Asia-Pacific nations are expected to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a free-trade agreement covering almost one-third of the world economy.
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