Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has laid stress on the need to advance deeper regional economic integration to ensure ASEAN’s sustainable growth.

Attending the 25th ASEAN Economic Community Council (AECC) Meeting held on May 25 in the framework of the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, the official said that ASEAN should maintain commitments within the bloc’s agreements while strengthening relations with partners like China and the US.

📖 Dien called for greater efforts to bring into full play the 18 priority economic cooperation initiatives in 2025, and continue exploring new collaboration opportunities with emerging partners, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

He commended ASEAN member states' achievements in implementing the AEC Blueprint 2025, particularly in trade, global value chain participation, competition policy development, and consumer protection. He also welcomed ASEAN's initial completion of the AEC Strategic Plan for 2026-2030.

The AECC Meeting, presided over by Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, centred on 11 key agenda items aimed at deepening intra-regional economic cooperation.

Aziz emphasised that the current economic environment demands closer collaboration among member states to advance shared interests while reducing reliance on external partners. Regarding ASEAN's response to US tariff policies, he stressed that ASEAN countries should promote dialogue and maintain clear commitments to not impose retaliatory measures.

The Malaysian minister praised significant progress obtained under the AEC Blueprint 2025, which aims to build an cohesive ASEAN economy and promote integration across key sectors including trade, digital transformation, micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development, and sustainable development initiatives.

At the event, ministers exchanged views on global and regional economic conditions and prospects, particularly regarding US tariff policies. They reviewed progress on Malaysia's priority economic initiatives during its chairmanship year, and discussed end-of-term reports evaluating the effectiveness of implementing the AEC Blueprint 2025.

Besides, they reviewed the implementation of the AEC pillar initiatives, including ASEAN's sustainability agenda, Timor-Leste's ASEAN accession process, and approved several documents of the Economic Pillar for submission to the Summit, including the AECC report and a joint statement on ASEAN-GCC economic cooperation./.