ASEAN leaders with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the ASEAN Plus Three Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

JAKARTA — Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attended the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit (China, Japan, and Republic of Korea) held in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday.

The importance of ASEAN+3 cooperation in peace, stability, cooperation, and development was reaffirmed at the meeting. In 2022, trade between ASEAN and the three Northeast Asian partners increased by 10.2 per cent, reaching US$1.213 trillion, while FDI from the three partners into ASEAN reached $54.8 billion, accounting for 24.5 per cent of total FDI into ASEAN.

The ASEAN+3 leaders agreed to effectively implement the ASEAN+3 Cooperation Plan for the 2023-27 period, which includes leveraging the strengths of cooperation in economics, trade, finance, healthcare, and expanding new areas of cooperation, focusing on innovation, ensuring food security, energy transition, climate change, and aiming for comprehensive and sustainable development.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính at the session expressed hope that ASEAN+3 will play an active and effective role in proposing feasible solutions and overcoming current difficulties and challenges together.

The Vietnamese Government leader underlined the need for ASEAN+3 to enhance multilateral economic, trade, investment linkages, including effectively implementing ASEAN+1 FTAs with each partner – China, Japan, and RoK – as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

PM Chính proposed that ASEAN+3 expand areas of cooperation, especially digital transformation, digital economy, e-commerce, fintech, artificial intelligence, green finance, green technology, to create additional impetus for inclusive and sustainable growth and bring tangible benefits to the people.

At the same time, it is necessary to coordinate and ensure food security at the national and regional levels in all circumstances.

PM Chính also affirmed Việt Nam's readiness to coordinate and promote the Mekong-Lancang, Mekong-Japan, and Mekong-RoK cooperation frameworks, contributing effectively to the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region.

The ASEAN+3 Summit approved the Declaration on the Development of the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem. — VNS