Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Đỗ Hùng Việt VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay an official visit to Malaysia and attend the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Malaysia from May 24-28 with a clear message of proactive responsibility and readiness to contribute to the bloc's collective endeavors, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Đỗ Hùng Việt.

In a recent interview with the press, Việt, also Head of ASEAN SOM of Việt Nam, stressed that the trip, made at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his spouse, was of significance as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of Việt Nam’s ASEAN membership, marking the beginning of the nation’s regional and international process.

"It demonstrates Việt Nam’s strong support for Malaysia’s role as the ASEAN Chair this year and reflects the shared determination to build a community that embodies sustainability, inclusiveness, solidarity and strength while consolidating ASEAN’s central role in regional peace and stability," he said.

"Việt Nam seeks to collaborate with other ASEAN member states to shape up strategic orientations and concrete measures to solidify regional cooperation foundation while elevating the bloc’s stature in the coming time."

Việt Nam's three-decade ASEAN membership shows that it is increasingly mature, confident, and proactive in both regional bloc participation and broader international integration, according to the deputy minister. This period has confirmed ASEAN as a cornerstone in Việt Nam's foreign policy, with General Secretary Tô Lâm emphasising in his speech at the ASEAN Secretariat in January that standing at a new historical starting point, Việt Nam and ASEAN are working together towards ambitious goals.

Over the recent past, Việt Nam has collaborated closely with other ASEAN nations in developing strategic documents, particularly the "ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future" to be adopted by leaders at this summit. Vietnamese ministries actively contributed from the initial stages, balancing core principles like internal solidarity and ASEAN centrality while proposing innovative, practical ideas to create breakthroughs across all three pillars of politics-security, economy, and socio-culture, and cross-sectoral areas.

Việt Nam’s leadership is evident through its role in organising the ASEAN Future Forums in 2024 and 2025, facilitating discussions on essential regional issues and substantively contributing to shaping ASEAN cooperation through 2045.

Themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits are expected to chart fresh pathways for regional cooperation. Việt Nam will work with other member states across three priorities, namely reaffirming multilateralism’s values while enhancing ASEAN’s central role in the region amidst strategic volatilities; launching a new roadmap for community building towards a self-reliant, innovative, proactive, and people-centred bloc; and promoting internal and external connectivity through expanded trade-investment cooperation and fair, transparent, and rules-based multilateral trading systems, according to Việt.

Touching on Việt Nam – Malaysia relations, the diplomat stressed that PM Chính’s visit would help deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Leaders of both sides would exchange notes on specific orientations and measures to inject new momentum and develop the bilateral cooperation and connectivity in a deeper and more effective manner.

He went on to emphasise that the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last November represented the most solid assessment and highest expectation for the Việt Nam-Malaysia relationship.

Senior leaders of the two countries have maintained regular visits and exchanges, highlighted by General Secretary Tô Lâm's official visit to Malaysia in 2024 and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to Việt Nam for attendance at the second ASEAN Future Forum in February 2025. Recent diplomatic engagement has intensified remarkably, with PM Chính conducting two telephone conversations with his Malaysian counterpart within a single month to share assessments of the global and regional situation while discussing measures to promote bilateral cooperation and ASEAN collaboration.

Economic cooperation is an important pillar in the Việt Nam – Malaysia relationship, according to Việt. Malaysia currently ranks as Việt Nam's third-largest trading partner within ASEAN and ninth globally, while also standing as Việt Nam's third-largest investor among ASEAN countries.

Both countries share similar development aspirations and place people at the heart of national development. Việt Nam has positioned its people as the centre, subject, goal, driving force, and resource for sustainable national development. Similarly, Malaysia aims to become one of the world's top 25 countries in human development index within the next decade. This alignment demonstrates profound affinity between the nations extending beyond geographical proximity to encompass long-term development philosophy and priorities.

Việt expressed his belief that PM Chính’s visit would also strengthen political trust between the two countries, remove bottlenecks, and outline concrete steps to bring into full play the Việt Nam – Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the benefit of the two countries’ people as well as for peace, stability, and development in the region. — VNS