Goods containers are loaded at the Port of Tokyo, Japan (Photo: AFP/VNA) Singapore (VNA) –Foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and three partner nations - China, theRepublic of Korea (RoK) and Japan (ASEAN+3) - met in Singapore on August 4, agreeingon the need for ASEAN+3 to continue contributing to economic connectivity andopening trend in the region.
At the 19th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’Meeting, the diplomats also reached high consensus on the necessity to finalisethe Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement as schedule.
The ministers of China, Japan and the RoKemphasised the ASEAN+3’s role in promoting free trade, particularly in thecontext of growing trade protectionism around the world.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said with theemergence of protectionism, the ASEAN+3 cooperation has changed and clearlyreflected the regional countries’ aspiration and resolve to promote free tradeand maintain multilateralism. He affirmed that the ASEAN+3 needs to be promotedto become the main channel to build an East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC) and anopen world economy.
For her part, RoK Foreign Minister KangKyung-wha said the capability of coordinating with one another towards a commongoal, especially response to crises, is particularly important. She warned thatthe rise of trade protectionism and anti-globalisation in major countries areescalating tensions and threatening the aspiration for sustainable economicgrowth.
Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Konosaid his country wants to soon finalise talks on the RCEP to createcomprehensive, balanced and high-quality economic rules.
At the meeting, the participating ministers alsorecognised the implementation outcomes of the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation WorkPlan 2018-2022 and the recommendations in the East Asia Vision Group II Report.
They said it is necessary to continue promotingconcrete and practical cooperation activities in the fields of common concernand priorities, including the fight against terrorism and violent extremism,marine cooperation, economic and regional connectivity, macro-financialstabilisation, small- and medium-sized enterprise development, health care,climate change, natural disaster response, food security, and cultural andpeople-to-people exchanges.
The meeting also underlined the importance ofthe ASEAN+3 as a tool towards the long-term goal of building a community inEast Asia. They affirmed that after 20 years of development, the ASEAN+3 hasbecome an indispensable part of the regional cooperation structure.–VNA
VNA
