Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh led a Vietnamese delegation to
the 26th ASEAN-US Dialogue in Washington on May 2-3, which aimed at
discussing orientations and measures to strengthen the two sides’
cooperation.
At the annual meeting at deputy
foreign ministerial lelvel, ASEAN member countries and the US
praised the positive and important progresses in the two sides’
relations. They said many cooperative activities are being conducted
effectively in the fields of politics-security, economics, trade,
investment, culture, education, and science and technology through the
2011-2015 ASEAN-US Plan of Action, the 2012 ASE AN- US Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and several other programmes.
The US is now the third largest investor in ASE AN and the fourth
biggest trading partner of the bloc, with two-way trade turnover of
more than 198 billion USD.
The two sides emphasised the
strategic significance of their partnership and cooperation for peace,
security and prosperity in the region, and pledged to expand effective
cooperation to upgrade their relationship to a strategic partnership.
In the coming time, they will focus on boosting
comprehensive cooperation, with priority given to establishing an ASEAN
community by 2015, boosting connectivity, human resource development,
education, and people-to-people exchanges. At the same time, they will
work together to deal with such common challenges as energy security,
sustainable water resource management, biodiversity, climate change,
natural disasters, epidemics and trans-national crime.
The two sides will continue enhancing bilateral cooperation under the
Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) between the US and regional countries.
US representatives affirmed that President Barack Obama’s
administration will continue strengthening links with Asia-Pacific in
general and ASEAN in particular, considering the regional bloc a major
pillar in the US ’ policy on the region and supporting ASEAN’s
central role in the regional structure.
The US
also affirmed its support to ASE AN in establishing the ASEAN Community
by 2015, promoting integration, narrowing development gaps among member
countries, implementing the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity. It
committed to continue promoting cooperation under the LMI through new
programmes such as ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (
ACTI ), to which the US will provide 16 million USD in aid over five
years, and the 13-million-USD ASE AN-US Partnership for Good
Governance, Equitable and Sustainable Development and Security programme
(PROGRESS).
During the meeting, the two sides also
underlined the need to maintain peace and stability in the region,
ensure maritime security and safety in the East Sea , and solve all
disputes in a peaceful manner based on respect for international law
and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
They suggested the bloc and China early conduct
negotiations on the establishment of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea
(COC) in order to consolidate trust and ensure regional peace, security
and stability.
Speaking at the event, Deputy FM Vinh
appreciated the US ’ continued cooperation with ASEAN, its assistance
to the building of an ASEAN Community.
He stressed
that the US and ASEAN need to closely coordinate in boosting the
partnership and effective cooperation in the priority areas of
economics, trade, investment, connectivity, science and technology and
education.-VNA