Vietnam’s premier attends ASEAN summits with US, Japan, India

Strengthening ASEAN-US partnership

PM Chinh, other ASEAN leaders, and U.S. President Donald Trump attended the 13th ASEAN-U.S. Summit, where both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation across multiple fields.

Two-way trade between ASEAN and the U.S. reached over US$453 billion in 2024, making the U.S. ASEAN’s second-largest trading partner and its largest source of foreign direct investment.

ASEAN leaders praised President Trump’s efforts in promoting dialogue and facilitating the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.

Addressing the summit, PM Chinh congratulated the U.S. on its recent achievements and commended the U.S. president’s diplomatic efforts to foster dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution.

He presented four major proposals for ASEAN-U.S. relations:

- Boosting economic, trade, and investment connectivity, aiming for a balanced, sustainable partnership.

- Enhancing cooperation in digital transformation, innovation, and energy security, including peaceful nuclear energy collaboration.

- Strengthening cybersecurity and combating transnational crimes, supporting joint initiatives against online fraud and fugitive tracking.

- Promoting peace, security, and stability in the region, reaffirming ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Vietnam Sea based on international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

President Trump emphasized that Southeast Asia holds a crucial place in the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy and expressed Washington’s readiness to deepen cooperation in economy, energy, technology, and AI, while supporting ASEAN’s central role in resolving common challenges.

ASEAN-Japan relations: From heart to heart, action to action

PM Chinh also joined regional leaders and newly-elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit on the same day.

Japan remains ASEAN’s fourth-largest trading partner and fifth-largest investor, with bilateral trade totaling $236.6 billion and FDI reaching $17.5 billion in 2024.

The Vietnamese government leader emphasized that over five decades of sincere and trustworthy ties, the ASEAN-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership should evolve ‘from heart to heart, from action to action, from sentiment to results.’

He outlined three priorities, including deepening economic linkages toward a green and digital transformation, upgrading the free trade agreement, expanding cooperation in education, healthcare, science, and high-quality human resource development, especially in AI applications, and promoting cultural exchange and regional peace and security cooperation.

Prime Minister Takaichi repeated Japan’s support for ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific outlook and alignment with the ASEAN community vision 2045, proposing enhanced cooperation in maritime security, cybersecurity, and safe AI ecosystems.

ASEAN-India: Anchors of regional stability

Also, Prime Minister Chinh and ASEAN leaders attended the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who joined virtually.

The summit adopted the ASEAN-India Action Plan for the 2026-30 period and designated ‘ASEAN-India Maritime Cooperation’ as the theme for 2026.

At the summit, PM Chinh underscored that ASEAN and India, with over two billion people and a combined GDP nearing $8 trillion, serve as ‘strategic anchors’ for regional stability and cooperation.

He proposed three key orientations, including boosting economic connectivity and high-tech investment, with a focus on renewable energy, AI, and semiconductors, enhancing people-to-people exchange, cooperation in education, health, and culture, and promoting maritime cooperation and sustainable blue economy development, with support for ASEAN’s stance on the East Vietnam Sea in line with the 1982 UNCLOS.

Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the historical and cultural ties between India and ASEAN, highlighting digital transformation, food security, and green economy cooperation, declaring that ‘the 21st century belongs to India and ASEAN.’

Bilateral meetings with regional and global leaders

On the sidelines of the summits, PM Chinh met with several leaders and international organization heads.

During his meeting with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, PM Chinh said that Vietnam attaches the highest priority to its relationship with Laos and is committed to strengthening cooperation in infrastructure connectivity, energy, trade, investment, and human resource development, as well as building sustainable supply chains.

Vietnam will continue to share experience and support Laos in digital transformation and innovation.

In talks with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi, the Vietnamese government leader congratulated her on her new position and reiterated Vietnam’s view of Japan as a leading strategic partner.

He called for Japan’s continued official development assistance (ODA) support for key Vietnamese infrastructure projects and cooperation in science, technology, human resource training, and the semiconductor industry.

He also invited PM Takaichi to pay an official visit to Vietnam, which she accepted in principle.

PM Chinh also held talks with World Bank vice-president for the East Asia and Pacific Region Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, ASEAN secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

At his meeting with the World Bank leader, he urged the institution to innovate its approach and enhance support for Vietnam’s strategic projects, including the one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice initiative in the Mekong Delta and projects in green transition, clean energy integration, and climate resilience.