Group photo of ASEAN leaders and US President Joe Biden in front of the White House at the banquet held on May 12, held ahead of the Special ASEAN-US Summit slated for May 13. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and leaders of ASEAN countries attended a reception and banquet hosted by President Biden at the White House on the evening of May 12 (US time).

President Biden expressed his pleasure and honour to welcome the ASEAN leaders, considering it a great opportunity for the parties to jointly assess and orient the ASEAN-US relationship. He said the event took place at a meaningful time, with the two sides celebrating 45 years of ties.

The leaders agreed that the ASEAN-US relationship had developed dynamically and strongly over the past 45 years, overcoming many challenges and attaining many important achievements.

Both ASEAN and the US affirmed appreciation for each other’s important role and the ASEAN-US partnership for peace, security, cooperation and prosperous development in the region and the world.

President Biden affirmed his desire to elevate the ASEAN-US relationship and pledged to support the central role of ASEAN and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Biden also announced initiatives worth more than US$150 million to attract the private sector to invest billions of dollars in cooperation projects in areas such as trade and investment exchange, stabilising supply chains, improving capacity in health, marine cooperation, infrastructure development, education, human resource development, energy, climate change response, and sustainable development.

PM Phạm Minh Chính and other ASEAN leaders attend the banquet hosted by President of the United States Joe Biden. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

​During the reception, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said he highly appreciated the significance of the ASEAN-US Summit, as it indicates the commitment of the two sides to work together towards peace, stability and common prosperity.

Over the past 45 years, the US – the world's leading power, and ASEAN – the region with the most dynamic economic development – have cooperated to respect the law and ASEAN's central role, he said. Such efforts have built the foundation for trust so that they can together build a transparent, inclusive and international law-based regional structure.

Economic, trade, and investment cooperation developed strongly and became a stronger people-to-people connection.

Chính emphasised that maintaining peace and stability must be considered the top concern of both ASEAN and the US.

He expects the US to continue to support ASEAN to play a central role in the Asia-Indo-Pacific region and further contribute to building new directions for cooperation frameworks chaired by ASEAN.

He also expressed the expectation that the US would join ASEAN in sincere dialogue based on trust and responsibility, supporting the settlement of differences and disagreements based on peaceful measures in accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter and The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

PM Chính said that Việt Nam would apply the best measures to support US investors and businesses in rapidly expanding business in the Vietnamese market, connecting with potential ASEAN markets.

The Prime Minister also suggested that the US support ASEAN in green and sustainable development, economic restructuring, technology application, digital transformation, renewable energy development, and promote cooperation initiatives within the framework of the Mekong-US Partnership. — VNS