Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc will attend the 30th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines from April 28-29 at the invitation of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.  — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc will attend the 30th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines from April 28-29 at the invitation of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. 

At the events, the Vietnamese delegation will aim to contribute to strengthening ASEAN connectivity and improving the bloc’s operations, while fostering intra-bloc unity, and enhancing the central role of the association. 

Along with boosting co-operation in narrowing development gaps to benefit ASEAN residents, Việt Nam’s participation in the event is a chance for the country to bolster its partnerships with other ASEAN member states as well as the bloc’s dialogue partners. 

During the summit, themed “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World”, ASEAN leaders will review plans for the building of the ASEAN Community, while discussing measures to enhance the central role of the association and its relations with partners as well as regional and international issues of shared concern.

As ASEAN is celebrating its 50th founding anniversary and the second year of the ASEAN Community, at the event, leaders will seek measures to implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and action plans to strengthen intra-bloc connection. 

So far, the community has made progress in realising the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and blueprints in all three pillars of the vision. 

As many as 218 out of 290 activities in politics-security are underway at different levels, while 532 out of 611 economic measures included in the roadmap for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2025 building have been implemented, and the AEC 2025 Consolidated Strategic Action Plan has also commenced. 

ASEAN is also specifying the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community’s blueprint with 109 actions. 

To support the building of the ASEAN Community, the group has also stepped up efforts to strengthen connectivity and narrow development gaps, and launched the third phase of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration with five priorities of food and industry; trade facilitation; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; education; and health care and welfare. 

Along with enhancing its efficiency, the association will beef up ties with partners such as China, the US, India, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Canada and the UN, while designing joint action programmes with the remaining dialogue partners of Japan, Australia, Russia and the EU. 

ASEAN has also committed to maintaining and fostering peace, stability, maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes through peaceful measures, with full respect for diplomatic and legal processes in line with widely-recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

ASEAN has showed its responsibility in building a favourable environment for peace, stability, maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea through promoting the full, strict and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and collaborating with China to soon finalise a Code of Conduct in the waters. — VNS