ASEAN ABIS 2020 will focus on four topics: ASEAN’s economic outlook, future orientations for the environment, society and governance investment in ASEAN, technologies and future jobs in ASEAN, and an ASEAN region of self-reliance and sustainable and inclusive development.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that after 5 decades of development, ASEAN has become a dynamic and creative economic community with a population of 630 million and a GDP of more than 3.1 trillion USD, which is the world’s fifth largest economy. These achievements are due to the contribution by the ASEAN business community.

The Prime Minister said the COVID-19 pandemic has posed great challenges to the world, including ASEAN, but the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2020 provides an opportunity to share experience, expand cooperation, and develop toward sustainability and inclusiveness.

Mr. Phuc said: “Viet Nam is committed to cooperating with other ASEAN member states and its partners to continue pragmatic assistance programs for businesses in the region, especially in the areas of digital transformation; environment, society and governance; technology and employment future; and sustainable and inclusive development. In addition, Viet Nam will push hard to realize the common goal of putting people and businesses at the heart of development, while taking advantage of new opportunities brought about by the shifting of global supply chains and capital flows toward the ASEAN region.”

Mr. Aladdin D.Rillo, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Economic Community, proposed measures to develop the ASEAN economy: “First is that it’s very obvious we need to focus on the recovery. I think as the region moves from the ability to deal with this pandemic and add containment measures to the recovery. We have to make sure that we are able to deal with the pandemic decisively, and I think the most important priority right now is to make sure that there are available funding resources to contain the pandemic, and at the same time, we are able to balance the socio-economic crisis risk from the pandemic. I think part the priorities in the region as well is to make sure that we are able to reopen our economy to make sure that the most important sectors are being revived and being able to contribute again to our economy like the aviation sector, for example”.

The participants also heard remarks by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin, and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Kanni Wignaraja about measures to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.