ASEAN leaders hold series of summits in Kuala Lumpur

During the ASEAN – UN summit, ASEAN leaders and Secretary General Ban Kimoon emphasised the relationship between the 2030 Agenda of the UN on sustainable development with the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 in improving the quality of life in Southeast Asia.

The two sides also committed to enhancing cooperation, and strengthening and expanding ASEAN-UN relations, aiming to maintain peace, security and prosperity in Southeast Asia. ASEAN leaders appreciated the UN’s effort in supporting the ASEAN’s integration of the region, addressing challenges related to environment, economics, social inequality and climate change.

In the ASEAN-Japan Summit, with the participation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the leaders appreciated the results of the vision statement on the 2013 ASEAN – Japan Friendship and Cooperation. At the event, ASEAN leaders and the Japanese Prime Minister committed to doubling bilateral trade and investment in 2022, implementing the ASEAN-Japan 10 year Strategic Economic Cooperation Roadmap, as well as enhancing the process of the Tokyo Strategy 2015 for Mekong-Japan Cooperation.

In the ASEAN-South Korea Summit, ASEAN leaders and Prime Minister Park Geun-Hye noted the progress of the ASEAN-South Korea Plan of Action 2011-2015 and welcomed the adoption of the Plan of Action 2016-2020.

The two sides also agreed on priorities for cooperation in the future, including mitigation of climate change, sustainable forest management, information and communication technology, and narrowing the development gap. In the summit, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, as well as ASEAN leaders and Prime Minister Park Geun-hye emphasised the importance of ASEAN-South Korea cultural exchange and welcomed the establishment of the ASEAN Culture House in Busan in 2017, which aims to increase the understanding of ASEAN culture in South Korea.