AMM-56: US Secretary of State stresses ASEAN’s centrality
The relationship with ASEAN is at the heart of the US’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific and both the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific underscore the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s centrality, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has affirmed.
Delegates to the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with the US. (Photo: laprensalatina.com)
Jakarta (VNA) - The relationship with ASEAN is atthe heart of the US’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific and both the USIndo-Pacific Strategy and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific underscore the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s centrality, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has affirmed.
“We share a vision of an Indo-Pacific that is free, open,prosperous, secure, connected, and resilient,” Blinken told the ASEAN PostMinisterial Conference with the US within the framework of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-56) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 14.
The US has worked so hard to put the ASEAN-US ComprehensiveStrategic Partnership, which was upgraded last year, into concrete action.
“We are delivering on the issues that matter most to thelives of our people: expanding access tothe Internet and other technologies that small businesses and entrepreneursneed to compete in the 21st century economy; helping communities adapt to thegrowing effects of a warming climate, and building their resilience to thechanges to come; improving the capacity of health systems to deliver on basicneeds like maternal and child health,” he stated.
Regarding the Myanmar issue, the official stressed the need to implement ASEAN’s Five-PointConsensus, adding that on July 13, the US announced over 74 million USD inadditional humanitarian relief to the region, including nearly 61 million USD tosupport Rohingya displaced by ongoing violence in Myanmar.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi expressed herbelief that the conference will lead to new commitments to strengthencooperation in more concrete ways between the two sides, thus contributing topeace and stability in the region.
She proposed the US maintain its support for ASEAN'scentrality and “Epicentrum of Growth” status.
This year, ASEAN starts to integrate the implementation ofthe ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) with all partners, including theUS. The goal of AOIP is to promote concrete cooperation and bring about benefitsfor people in four priority areas of maritime affairs, connectivity,sustainable development goals, and economic affairs, she added./.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son continued to join his counterparts from ASEAN countries in attending the ASEAN+1 meetings with Japan, the Republic of Korea, the European Union (EU), the UK, Canada, and the ASEAN+3 meeting, within the framework of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-56) in Jakarta, Indonesia,on July 13.
The 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting discussed the situation in the East Sea and expressed concern over land reclamation activities and serious incidents in the region that erode trust, hike tension and potentially undermine peace, security and stability in the area.
Vietnam is willing to work with the US to further deepen the bilateral comprehensive partnership on the basis of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political regimes, thus lifting the bilateral relations to a higher level at an appropriate time, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
President Joko Widdo of Indonesia, the chair of the ASEAN in 2023, on July 14 affirmed that ASEAN is committed to strengthening the unity and solidity as well as centrality in the regional grouping to guard peace and stability in the region.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Delegates to the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with the US. (Photo: laprensalatina.com) 
