Vietnam attends ASEAN-US Dialogue

This annual meeting aims to discuss orientations and measures to enhance cooperative relations between the two sides.

Both sides spoke highly of positive progress of the bilateral cooperation in various fields like politics-security, economics, trade, investment, culture, education, science and technology under the ASEAN-US Action Plan for the 2011-2015, and the 2012 ASEAN-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

The US is currently the 4th biggest trade partner with the two-way trade value of $198 billion, and the 3rd largest investor of ASEAN.

ASEAN and the US affirmed the importance of the strategic partnership for peace, security, and prosperity in the region. The two sides vowed to continue fostering cooperation in order to lift up the bilateral ties to strategic level.

Specifically, the US will assist the bloc in building ASEAN Community by 2015, enhancing connectivity, developing human resource, addressing common challenges like energy security, water resource and bio-diversity management, climate change adaptation, management of natural disasters and pandemic diseases, trans-national crime prevention.

They also pledged to further cooperation within the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI).

The US delegates affirmed that Barack Obama’s Government considers ASEAN as an important pillar of the US policy on the region and advocates the central role of ASEAN in the overall regional structure.

The US also committed to strengthening integration and connectivity under the LMI and other cooperation programs such as ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (ACTI), with total funding of $16 million, and the $13 million ASEAN-US Partnership for Good Governance, Equitable and Sustainable Development and Security (PROGRESS) program.

ASEAN and the US stressed the need to maintain peace, stability, security and maritime safety in the East Sea, peacefully settle disputes on the basis of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The delegates to the meeting said ASEAN and China need to early launch negotiations on establishment of the Code of Conduct (COC) in order to consolidate trust and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh praised the US for coordinating closely with ASEAN, supporting the group’s efforts to build ASEAN Community.

He also shared ASEAN’s efforts to ensure peace, stability and security in the region, to address security challenges, including the guarantee of maritime safety and security in the East Sea, and to step up the establishment of COC.