AFF 2026 is being held in Hanoi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to Professor Mi, the forum’s plenary session will focus on ASEAN’s resilience, solidarity, and self-reliance, positioning the event as an open dialogue platform that complements ASEAN’s official mechanisms.
The forum highlights the building of a people-centered ASEAN Community and promotes the transition to new growth models amid global uncertainties. It seeks to safeguard the interests and well-being of all people while ensuring that no group is left behind, he said.
He noted that conflict prevention is one of the three primary topics of this year’s forum which aims to maintain regional peace and stability while creating a secure internal environment for ASEAN’s development.
Professor Mi said AI is another key topic, as countries seek to harness AI to drive regional development while addressing challenges related to governance, ethics, and cybersecurity.
Commenting on Vietnam’s hosting of the AFF for the third consecutive time, an initiative first announced by Vietnam at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, in September 2023, Professor Mi highlighted Vietnam’s growing influence within ASEAN and its increasingly prominent role regionally and globally.
