Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Quốc Dũng (centre) and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi (first row, second right) take a photo with other participants at the high-level roundtable meeting on Monday in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo Dương GIang

HÀ NỘI — Once Việt Nam takes over as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair in 2020, the country hopes to connect leaders, businesses and partners of member countries for the common good.

Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke on the nation's aspirations for its term in the leadership role at a high-level roundtable meeting held by the ministry and the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hà Nội on Monday.

Việt Nam will take the opportunity to promote proposals and initiatives that would boost trade and economic relations among members of the bloc, Dũng said.

Dũng said the meeting was an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to access necessary information and co-ordinate with businesses to help the whole region prosper.

Phạm Hoàng Hải, a representative of the Việt Nam Business Council for Sustainable Development, said he hoped collaboration between businesses in the region would be strengthened under Việt Nam's leadership.

Trần Anh Dũng, a representative of the Việt Nam Young Business Association, said young businesses were eager to learn from other ASEAN companies' experiences and collaborate with them.

Speaking at the meeting, ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi said he recognised the Vietnamese Government's attempts to strengthen ties between regional countries.

The meeting provided a chance for the Secretariat of ASEAN to hear ideas and proposals to help businesses cope with challenges and take advantage of opportunities, he said.

Boosting co-operation among members of the bloc would help the entire region develop and prosper, he said.

Other plans

According to Dũng, Việt Nam would also seek ways to increase collaboration among agencies and sectors with the Secretariat of ASEAN.

Dũng said that as the chair in 2020, Việt Nam planned to contribute to the successful implementation of the ASEAN vision for 2025.

The country intends to strengthen unity within the bloc and the international body's central role in the regional structure, he said. It would also try to improve the efficiency of the system.

Dũng said he hoped the ASEAN Secretariat would share experiences to help Việt Nam be successful in its leadership role.

Việt Nam has always considered ASEAN one of its top foreign priorities since joining in 1995. For nearly 25 years, the country has worked to contribute to the common work of the body as an active and responsible member. — VNS