As the Chair of ASEAN in 2020, Vietnam has played and will play a significant role in defining the region’s desire for peace and cooperation, according to an analyst from a US university.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc waves at regional leaders at
the online 37th ASEAN Summit on November 12 (Photo: VNA)

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Professor Surupa Gupta from the faculty of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington said the country has affirmed the importance of cooperation in seeking peaceful solutions to disputes in the East Sea.

She said Vietnam has done well in controlling COVID-19 and supported other countries and territories by providing resources such as medical equipment.

As the ASEAN Chair, she went on, Vietnam has used its own experience to focus on a number of issues, including the building of the bloc’s identity and connectivity in response to global and regional challenges such as COVID-19. Vietnam has also concentrated on creating an active form of intra-bloc backing to deal with regional and international issues as well as protect the interests of ASEAN, the region, and the international community.

As such, the bloc has continued to be built based on intra-bloc solidarity and economic integration.

As for the ASEAN-US strategic partnership, which passed the half-decade mark this year, the professor said that under Vietnam’s chairmanship, the two sides have forged engagement in health and human resources development. The US values ASEAN’s role and wants to step up cooperation with both the bloc and Vietnam, she added.

Existing ties have made substantial contributions to peace and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region, with parties sharing the common goal of fighting terrorism and pirates.

ASEAN is now the US’s fourth-largest trade partner, she said, while noting that both sides believe in the value of respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty and the rule of law. The US recognises ASEAN’s central role in handling regional issues, while both sides value transparency, good management, comprehensiveness, and openness, which are important to improving trade and investment in the region.

A review of policies issued by different administrations in the US, she said, shows that no matter who leads the nation, relations with ASEAN are respected and prioritised. She also expressed her hope that ties will continue to thrive in the time to come.