Masataka Fujita, secretary general of the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), has expressed great appreciation for the sustained efforts made by the Vietnamese Government in undertaking the role of ASEAN Chair in 2020, especially amid the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Secretary General of the ASEAN-Japan Centre Masataka Fujita (Photo: VNA)

The country has been successful in terms of managing and organising all relevant meetings, he affirmed during a recent media report ahead of the 37th ASEAN Summit and related meetings which is scheduled to take place from November 12 to November 15.

This year represents a unique period due to all members of the bloc suffering from the effects of the pandemic. As a successful country in terms of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation is able to take the lead in not only surviving but thriving, he stated.

The official therefore stressed the importance of actions taken by the Vietnamese Government to boost post-pandemic economic recovery efforts, adding that this is a “good opportunity for Vietnam to show how to get stronger”.

As a means of coping with an uncertain future caused by the pandemic, Fujita highlighted the need to boost the resilience of the bloc’s economies and supply chains.

Greater attention should therefore be paid to risk management as a means of being rapid in response to any financial crisis, natural disaster, or pandemic, he stated.

Furthermore, both ASEAN and Japan have learned from their mistakes in being too slow in response to recent issues. Indeed, most of countries are now experiencing negative growth, with Vietnam being one of the few to record positive growth this year.

“When you look at the industrial structure, not all the industries are down. In fact, IT-related areas are still growing. In the United States and other countries where stock prices are rising, actually, all the rising stocks came from IT-related companies. Therefore, digitalisation is quite important, and this time, both ASEAN and Japan learned how slow we are. In this particular area, I think ASEAN and Japan can co-operate further,” said Fujita. He also suggests the two sides bolster co-operation in the healthcare sector.

Due to the majority of nations worldwide suffering from the pandemic crisis, some countries have moved to relax investment in the healthcare sector whilst trying to establish companies that can produce masks or personal protective gear. Therefore the industries which are most resistant to such a crisis should be promoted further.