ASEAN+1 meetings held in Singapore
(VOVWORLD) - A series of ASEAN+1 meetings were held in Singapore on Thursday within the framework of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-51).
During the ASEAN-Japan meeting, both sides passed the 2017 revised plan on implementing ASEAN-Japan’s vision on friendship and cooperation, to mark the 45th anniversary of the two sides’ dialogue partnership. They pledged continued cooperation on trade, investment, infrastructure development, and the development of SMEs and micro businesses under the 10-year ASEAN-Japan strategic economic cooperation roadmap until 2022.
At the ASEAN-Russia meeting, both sides reiterated the importance of ASEAN-Russia progressive and comprehensive partnerships, which are expected to be soon lifted to strategic partnerships. Russia attaches great importance to ties with ASEAN, adding that it supports ASEAN’s solidarity, unity and its central role in the region.
China and ASEAN agreed that economic-trade and investment collaboration continue to be the foundation for the bilateral relationship. They pledged to soon finalize procedures to upgrade the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) in order to realize high-level officials’ commitments on elevating two-way trade value to 1 trillion USD and the total investment value to 150 billion USD by 2020.
ASEAN praised New Zealand’s support for the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, promoting ASEAN’s central role, and extending its sponsorship for the Agreement on Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) until the end of next year.
Regarding regional and international issues of common concern, ASEAN ministers and its partners hoped for enhanced cooperation at forums chaired by ASEAN to construct an open and transparent regional structure. They also discussed efforts by ASEAN and China in launching negotiations on a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.