Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung made the remark at the ASEAN Community Conference Tuesday in Hanoi. He said: “Vietnam has been developing mechanisms to ensure security through building trust and behavior standards. Several cooperation initiatives from Vietnam have been approved and applied on a large scale. Vietnam, along with other countries, has reviewed trade, service, and investment agreements and implemnted trade facilitation measures.”

Vietnam has also participated in activities to protect labor rights and uphold the roles of women, children, the disabled, and young people in climate change response.

Deputy Minister Dung affirmed Vietnam’s active role in ASEAN cooperation next year: “Vietnam will continue ASEAN cooperation activities, focus on infrastructure connectivity projects, and narrow the development gap in realizing ASEAN 2025 vision. We will also promote negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea, implement measures to build trust, boost maritime security cooperation, and strengthen responses to non-traditional challenges.”

Vietnam will take over the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.