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Economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday approved 12 initiatives regarding boosting regional economic cooperation in 2020 at a meeting held in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang.
The initiatives approved at the 26th Meeting of ASEAN Economic Minister Retreat focus on such fields as e-commerce, commodity trade, energy, information technology, agriculture, sustainable development and finance.
Raised by the ASEAN's 2020 rotating chair Vietnam, the initiatives are based on the orientations of improving linkages and connectivity within the ASEAN, promoting partnerships for peace and sustainable development, and enhancing the adaptability and operation efficiency of the organization.
The adoption of the initiatives is an important step to reiterate the ASEAN's role in cementing regional solidarity, enhance the bloc's internal strength and uphold the role of the ASEAN economic community, Vietnam News Agency cited Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh as saying.
The meeting adopted six recommendations push forward at the 37th Meeting of the High-level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration held on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 in Hanoi, including making the adoption of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020 a top priority in the relations between the ASEAN and its partners.
The ministers also agreed on priorities regarding the economic field for 2020, covering issues including trade in goods and services, investment environment, facilitation of skilled laborer and businesspeople exchanges, intellectual property cooperation and e-commerce, and discussed issues concerning cooperation with ASEAN's external partners.
Vietnam News Agency cited Anh as saying that Vietnam also proposed a joint statement on maintaining the ASEAN supply chains and facilitating businesses' access to input materials, especially for small and medium-sized ones, against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus outbreak's effects on people's life.
