Vietnam has urged for enhanced cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States in critical areas such as trade, artificial intelligence, digital technology, and energy transition. This call was made during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the US, which took place in Manila.
During the conference, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung expressed appreciation for the United States’ commitment to maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region. He stressed the urgency of finalizing a new comprehensive work program between ASEAN and the US. Trung suggested expanding collaboration in key sectors like trade and investment, the digital economy, semiconductors, science and technology, innovation, energy transition, and regional energy connectivity. He also highlighted the need for continued US support in the Mekong sub-region, particularly in water management, climate change adaptation, infrastructure development, and workforce training.
On the topic of regional security, Trung emphasized the significance of dialogue and international law in maintaining peace and resolving disputes. He welcomed ongoing US support for ASEAN’s stance on the South China Sea, urging Washington to help reinforce an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional order centered around ASEAN. Trung also addressed issues in the Middle East, calling for increased dialogue and the restoration of safe maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz, while underscoring the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation under international law.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ support for ASEAN, highlighting Southeast Asia’s strategic and economic importance. He committed to continued US investment in the region’s supply chains, digital economy, energy security, power-grid connectivity, and civil nuclear cooperation. Both ASEAN and the United States agreed to deepen economic ties, expand cooperation in high-value industries, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges. They also pledged to improve coordination in addressing challenges such as terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and online scams.