Vietnam has urged for enhanced collaboration between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States, emphasizing key areas like trade, artificial intelligence, digital technology, and energy transition. This call for stronger ties came during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the US, recently convened in Manila.
At the conference, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung expressed appreciation for the US’s dedication to peace, stability, and regional development. He encouraged both parties to swiftly conclude a new comprehensive work program. Trung advocated for expanded cooperation in vital sectors, including trade and investment, the digital economy, semiconductors, science and technology, innovation, energy transition, and regional energy connectivity. Furthermore, he urged continued US support in the Mekong sub-region, focusing on water management, climate change adaptation, infrastructure development, and workforce training.
On matters of regional security, Trung underscored the necessity of maintaining peace and resolving conflicts through dialogue and adherence to international law. He welcomed the US’s ongoing backing of ASEAN’s stance on the South China Sea and called on Washington to bolster an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional order with ASEAN at its core. Addressing developments beyond the region, Trung highlighted the need for increased dialogue in the Middle East and emphasized safeguarding freedom of navigation under international law, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced Washington’s commitment to ASEAN, acknowledging Southeast Asia’s strategic and economic significance. He promised sustained US investments in supply chains, the digital economy, energy security, power-grid connectivity, and civil nuclear cooperation. The conference also saw ASEAN and the United States agreeing to deepen economic ties, enhance cooperation in high-value industries, and improve people-to-people exchanges. Additionally, they committed to better coordination in addressing challenges like terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and online scams.