Vietnam worked closely with the Philippines - ASEAN Chair - and other member states to build unity and consensus, while backing the effective rollout of the Chair’s priorities and initiatives, said Deputy Minister Giang. It also put forward a raft of proposals to bolster ASEAN’s resilience, cohesion and connectivity.
As the only ASEAN member now coordinating ties with two Dialogue Partners, Vietnam made notable contributions to advancing regional cooperation with both the UK and New Zealand.
Vietnam chaired negotiations that resulted in the adoption of the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action 2027-2031 and the ASEAN-UK Joint Ministerial Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). It also helped forge ASEAN consensus on admitting the UK as the ASEAN Regional Forum’s 28th member.
The country also led negotiations and secured the adoption of the ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Statement on Strengthening Regional Resilience, while pushing for the rollout of the ASEAN-New Zealand Plan of Action 2026-2030, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Vietnam also actively contributed to the East Sea discussions, stressing the need to maintain peace, security and stability, while ensuring ASEAN's principled stance on the issue was fully reflected in the documents.
Co-chaired by Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, the 17th Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting agreed to resume the Mekong-Japan Summit at the earliest suitable opportunity.
