Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Minister Pham Binh Minh was among speakers at the panel session on“Asia’s Geopolitical Outlook” at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN)2018 in Hanoi on September 13.

Minh said he was concerned about three things when it came to the shiftingregional geopolitical landscape – the disruption of the Fourth IndustrialRevolution (Industry 4.0), the rise of protectionism and security threats.

“It is undeniable that Industry 4.0 will offer tremendousopportunities, but if countries cannot seize these opportunities, they can beleft behind and the development gap would be widen,” he said. “It would lead tothe transformation of the geo-economic as well as geo-political landscapes.”

The rise of the nationalism and protectionism alsoworries him alongside the power politics and strategic competition that canlead nations, whether big or small, to make choices to adapt to the situation.

And his last concern is the traditional andnon-traditional security issues that continue to be a threat, including themaritime disputes, climate change, cyber security and etc.

The Deputy PM also mentioned regional initiatives likethe Belt and Road Initiative or the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, sayingVietnam welcomes the initiatives as long as they contribute to the maintenanceof peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

“The initiatives must be open, transparent and inclusive;and respect the international law and self-determination of the nation,” Minhadded.

Minh later talked about the challenges of Industry 4.0which he believes can affect the production methods.

For a country’s economy that relies heavily on labourintensity, Industry 4.0 will affect its model of production and the labourforce, he said. Artificial intelligence, automatic advances, robots would takethe jobs of the labour force so education must be the main focus of any countryto provide better skills to the young workers to enable them to adapt to thenew context, he noted.

Joining Minh in the session were Minister of ForeignAffairs of the Republic of Korea Kang Kyung-Wha, Minister of Foreign Affairs ofJapan Taro Kono, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe and AssociateFellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) fromSingapore Lynn Kuok.

The meeting discussed how Asia can secure peace andstability amid a rapid changing geo-economic context, shifting allegiances, andnew security strategies from regional and global powers.

The speakers showed they are quite optimistic aboutAsia’s geopolitical outlook as the situation has seen progress recently withthe Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)resuming peace talks, the US-DPRK summit or the new breakthroughs in thedenuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula. They also spoke highly of ASEAN’scentrality in the regional security architecture.

The WEF ASEAN 2018 takes place in Hanoi from September 11– 13. Themed “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth IndustrialRevolution”, the event has attracted leaders of many ASEAN countries andpartner nations, over 1,000 delegates who are also WEF members, as well asrepresentatives of businesses from around the world.

It serves as a forum for the exchange of new ideas, a place to understandglobal trends, especially in regards to Industry 4.0, and to formulate plansfor Vietnam’s strategic socio-economic development and the growth of Vietnamesebusinesses.

It is also a cultural festival for ASEAN countries with the host country incharge of organising activities to promote ASEAN’s shared values ofmulticulturalism, multi-ethnicity, solidarity, and common goals. –VNA