The 20th East Asia Forum hosted by Vietnam. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Speaking at the Forum, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN Tran Duc Binh, suggested that ASEAN coordinate with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea to uphold further the role of cooperation mechanisms in order to effectively contribute to maintaining regional peace and stability, promoting economic, trade and financial cooperation towards sustainable development and prioritize regional health capacity, especially in vaccine research, development and production.

During the 2-day Forum, senior officials and leading experts from ASEAN+3 countries contributed ideas at the discussion sessions on cooperation over the past 25 years for peace, security and prosperity in East Asia. They also discussed strengthening national and regional health capacities to be more resilient to future public health emergencies.