Building on the momentum from the ASEAN chairmanship in 2020, Vietnam played a crucial role in the ASEAN meetings in 2021, focusing on strategic partnerships and regional cooperation. As the country coordinator for Russia in ASEAN, Indonesia hosted a meeting in January 2021, reaffirming the strategic partnership between ASEAN and Russia. The discussions centered on addressing the impacts of COVID-19 and accelerating economic and social recovery in the region.
Key points of discussion included the new ASEAN-Russia comprehensive plan of action for 2021-2025. Topics covered encompassed political and economic security, industry, science and technology, smart cities, health cooperation, and people-to-people contacts. Vietnam, during its chairmanship, actively facilitated meaningful engagement between ASEAN and Russia, as well as with other dialogue partners.
While Russia supported ASEAN centrality in the organizational architecture, there was a recognition of the need for deeper engagement in regional dynamics. Issues related to the ASEAN Economic Community were addressed in January 2021 through a video conference. The discussions focused on communication and information technology, E-commerce, minerals, science and technology, and innovation, aligning with the ASEAN community blueprints and the Asian comprehensive recovery framework outlined in the previous year.
The ASEAN community faced a significant challenge with the change of government in Myanmar, where a military junta took control. International calls urged regional organizations to address the situation and take effective measures to restore power to the democratically elected government. ASEAN issued a statement advocating for peace and dialogue among parties, emphasizing the potential detrimental effects of the changes in Myanmar on ASEAN’s cohesiveness and centrality.
In February 2021, a meeting on minerals exploitation took place, focusing on developing an ASEAN minerals cooperation action plan and its effective implementation. With the ongoing 4th industrial revolution in ASEAN, the demand for critical minerals was expected to rise, prompting the commissioning of a study, the results of which are expected by the year-end.
The ASEAN socio-cultural committee expressed strong support for Brunei’s chairmanship in March 2021, highlighting proposals for regional responses to emergencies and disasters, a youth academy program, an ASEAN climate change center, and efforts to promote gender understanding. The ASEAN-India meeting in March emphasized the need for effective implementation of the new plan of action for 2021-2025, with discussions on cooperation in medicine, vaccine development, and affordable pharmaceutical products. India’s contribution of USD 1 million to the COVID-19 fund was acknowledged.
Under Vietnam’s chairmanship in the previous year, the importance of preparing for the 4th industrial revolution was emphasized. The need for a comprehensive strategy to navigate the digital economy and innovations was discussed, focusing on regulatory environments, global competitive standards, skill development, and capacity building.
In early May, discussions addressed the impact of COVID-19, the transformation of global value chains, and the post-recovery phenomenon. Critical infrastructure development, addressing connectivity gaps, and human resource development were highlighted as essential measures for the post-pandemic recovery. Notably, the South China Sea issue received less vocal attention during the discussions this year.
Vietnam actively engaged ASEAN dialogue partners, including Japan, India, Russia, and the US, in developing long-term strategic partnerships. The Vietnamese foreign minister updated developments in the South China Sea, drawing attention to Chinese activities in the region that violated Vietnam’s sovereignty and international law.
These discussions in 2021 continued the momentum from the previous year, indicating that politico-security and socio-cultural community issues would gain momentum in the coming years. The template laid out in 2020 suggested new ideas for bringing ASEAN economies together, developing blueprints for E-commerce, digital economy, digital connectivity, and promoting finance, trade, and investment in the region. Discussions with dialogue partners were expected to commence in May 2021, with Brunei tasked with maintaining the momentum of ASEAN discussions.
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