ASEAN Committee meets to step up strategic partnership with US

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung on September 26 chaired three meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee in Washington D.C (ACW).

The events consisted of an ACW session discussing the committee’s plan of activities for the last four month of 2022, a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, and another with the US National Security Council and the US Department of State.

At the internal session of the ACW, the Vietnamese Embassy received the ACW Chairmanship handed over from the Thai Embassy.

Congratulating the Thai Embassy on successfully fulfilling the ACW Chairmanship, Dung affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy will uphold and promote the ACW’s tradition while proactively and actively promoting efforts to connect the committee with the administration, Congress, businesses, scholars, and others in the US so as to further intensify ASEAN - US relations and guarantee ASEAN’s centrality in the evolving regional architecture.

At this meeting, diplomats discussed and agreed on the ACW’s plan of activities for the last four months of this year.

Speaking at the working session with the ACW, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi updated the committee on the bloc’s progress in the Community building, along with opportunities and challenges to ASEAN in the current context. He stressed that ASEAN is working to identify a new orientation for the post-2025 period.

Participants exchanged views on the bloc’s priorities and concrete measures for the time ahead to achieve the set targets.

At the meeting with the ACW, both Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs in the US National Security Council Kurt Campbell and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink affirmed that the US supports ASEAN’s centrality and attaches great importance to the bloc during the implementation of its policy for the Indo-Pacific region.

The ASEAN Secretary-General, ambassadors, and chargés d’affaires expressed their hope that the US will maintain its commitments, constructive and responsible engagement, respect for international law, and support for ASEAN to recover economies after the COVID-19 pandemic, respond to climate change, and develop the Mekong sub-region, thereby helping to sustain regional peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

The two sides voiced their delight at the growth of ASEAN - US relations, especially the outcomes of the ASEAN - US Special Summit last May. They also looked into the preparations for high-level meetings slated for later this year, stressing priority for efforts to upgrade the ASEAN - US strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership in November./.

VNA