Relations between Vietnam and other ASEM members have been growing over the past 25 years (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Asia - Europe Meeting (ASEM) High-level Policy Dialogue in
commemoration of ASEM’s 25th founding anniversary takes place both in person
and via videoconference in Hanoi on June 22.
Themed "ASEM at 25: Strengthening Asia-Europe
Partnership in a Transforming World", the dialogue is an occasion for
the members to discuss the orientations and vision for the Asia - Europe
cooperation in the new period, helping to sustain and promote the ASEM
cooperation, especially amid the complicated COVID-19 pandemic that has caused
serious impacts around the globe.
The event, held at the initiative of Vietnam, features the
opening session with participation of ministers and two panel discussions on
“Asia and Europe in a resetting world” and “Shaping a vision for stronger Asia
- Europe partnership”.
Vietnam joined ASEM as a founding member in 1996 (Photo: VNA)
Over the last 25 years, Vietnam, which joined ASEM in 1996 as
a founding member, has always served as an active, dynamic, and responsible
member.
It helped propose and promote the ASEM membership expansion
twice and, together with other members, adopted many important documents and
decisions orienting the ASEM cooperation such as the Hanoi Declaration on
Closer ASEM Economic Partnership in 2004.
The country hosted the ASEM Summit in 2004 and the ASEM
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2009. It has also played an active role in the
five specialised cooperation groups, that it is a member, namely the ones on
water management, natural disaster response, vocational training, education and
human resources development, and technological connectivity.
The 9th ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi in May 2009 (Photo: VNA)
Vietnam is also the country initiating and maintaining the
first cooperation mechanism of ASEM, which is the sustainable development
dialogue that focuses on the sustainable management of water resources and the
cooperation among the countries traversed by the Mekong and Danube rivers,
helping to elevate the Mekong sub-regional cooperation to the regional level in
2011.
Besides, Vietnam is also viewed as one of the active members
in proposing and promoting new cooperation aspects, while implementing and
co-sponsoring nearly 60 initiatives in different fields.
Via cooperation initiatives, it has joined other ASEM members
in highlighting the interest of peace, security, and stability, settling urgent
issues, and promoting common concerns.
Most recently, the high-level dialogue on women’s economic
empowerment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, proposed by Vietnam, took place in Hanoi
in October 2020. It was one of the most important events of ASEM last
year and also the first practical activity held to implement the ASEM Foreign
Ministers’ statement on COVID-19 response issued on July 9, 2020.
On the basis of ASEM cooperation, Vietnam’s bilateral relations
with other ASEM members have been increasingly enhanced.
The ASEM high-level dialogue on women’s economic empowerment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, held at the initiative of Vietnam, in Hanoi in October 2020 (Photo: VNA)
ASEM members currently make up 23 of the 30 strategic and
comprehensive partners of Vietnam, and they are also partners in 15 of the 17
free trade agreements that the country has signed or is negotiating. They
contribute to about 70 percent of the foreign direct investment in, 70 percent
of the foreign trade of, and 80 percent of the international visitors to
Vietnam.
In the time ahead, the country is set to keep coordinating
with other ASEM members to strengthen the forum’s cooperation and develop an
increasingly dynamic and inter-connected Asia - Europe partnership for
prosperity in the two continents and the world as a whole.
From 26 founding members, the ASEM forum, founded in Bangkok
of Thailand on March 1, 1996, now has a membership of 53, comprising 21 Asian
countries, 30 European countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the European
Commission.
ASEM dialogue and cooperation activities have been carrying
out on the political - security, economic - financial, and social - cultural
pillars./.
VNA