Vientiane (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 8 attended and delivered an important speech at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN BIS) as part of his attendance to the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos.

He affirmed that despite many complex and unpredictable developments in the world, with the spirit of self-reliance and self-resilience, ASEAN still stands firm as the centre of growth, given important contributions from ASEAN enterprises and entrepreneurs.

He urged enterprises and businessmen to make more contributions so that ASEAN countries continue to promote their solidarity, self-reliance, and self-resilience, and their governments can achieve their set targets.

Firstly, enterprises and entrepreneurs should pioneer in contributing to building a self-resilient ASEAN that can engage in addressing emerging and global issues, he said, adding they should pioneer in digital transformation, green transition, net zero emissions, climate change response, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and internet of things.

Secondly, they should pioneer in promoting economic connectivity, including soft connectivity such as building institutions, sharing experience, building priority policies for priority areas; and hard connectivity like transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure, climate change response and energy connectivity infrastructure. In that process, people and businesses must be the centre, the subject, the goal, the resource, and the driving force for development, PM Chinh noted.

Thirdly, businesses should pioneer in the development of science and technology and innovation, startups, especially in responding to climate change, population aging, natural disasters, and epidemics. They must develop emerging fields, renew traditional growth drivers and promote new ones, while minimising the negative impacts of science and technology development, particularly cyber security issues.

Fourthly, the Vietnamese leader asked businesses to pioneer in building strategic infrastructure in each country and promoting infrastructure connectivity among countries, specifically in policy making, governance capacity building, resources mobilisation for infrastructure development.

Fifthly, they should pioneer in intra-ASEAN integration and global integration as now no single country can solve global issues. Therefore, it is necessary to promote multilateralism and international solidarity, bring benefits to the people, and leave no one behind.

Sharing the fundamental factors of development and important achievements of Vietnam, he stated Vietnam protects, builds and develops the country based on three pillars - building socialist democracy, building a socialist rule-of-law state and developing a socialist-oriented market economy.

The country’s consistent viewpoint is to take people as the centre, the subject, the goal, the driving force and the resource for development, without sacrificing progress, fairness and social security for economic growth only.

The leader also mentioned Vietnam's key tasks in foreign affairs and integration, economic development, national defence and security, cultural development, ensuring social security, Party and political system building.

Vietnam's economy has achieved important results in recent times with stable macro economy, curbed inflation and ensured major balances, he said, adding that the country has signed 16 new-generation free trade agreements with 60 countries and territories.

Along with seriously implementing commitments within the framework of the ASEAN Economic Community and with partners, Vietnam has continuously improved its investment and business environment, he said.

Currently, Vietnam is focusing on implementing three strategic breakthroughs, namely perfecting institutions, developing strategic infrastructure, and developing human resources, especially high-quality ones.

The country is also giving priority to promoting high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), information technology, semiconductor chip manufacturing, and comprehensive digital transformation.

Thanking foreign businesses and investors for investing in Vietnam, including those from ASEAN, PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam always creates the most favourable conditions for them to fully develop their capabilities and creativity, and optimise Vietnam’s potential, and competitive advantages.

ASEAN BIS is the largest annual business-related forum in Southeast Asia, organised by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) within the framework of the ASEAN Summit.

Themed “Enhancing Connectivity and Economic Resilience”, ASEAN BIS 2024 is held from October 8-11 in Vientiane,ﷺ attracting more than 800 business leaders from ASEAN and the world./.