Vietnam will assume the ASEAN Chair on January 1st, 2020, the 2nd time in the post. With new national status and strength, Vietnam will continue to affirm its position and responsibility in ASEAN and push ASEAN forward in the global political arena.

Peter Girke, Chief Country Representative of KAS, a German political foundation 

Taking over the ASEAN Chair in 2020 is a source of pride and a heavy responsibility to contribute to the ASEAN Community.

Preparation for ASEAN Chairmanship

ASEAN’s future path will surely lead to many challenges. Will internal cohesion and shared interests be enough to maintain ASEAN’s resilience in a climate of global competition and political and economic upheaval? Will ASEAN’s cooperative fundamentals and mechanisms meet the connectivity trend? What will ASEAN do to benefit the 630 million people in its member countries? These issues will demand responsibility from each member in 2020, particularly from Vietnam as ASEAN Chair.

Vietnam has established a National Committee for ASEAN, which consists of sub-committees, divisions, and cooperative mechanisms. Vietnam has consulted experts to identify agenda for 2020.

ASEAN beliefs

Vietnam has always considered ASEAN a priority of its foreign policy. Since Vietnam assumed the ASEAN Chair in 2010, it has continued to carry out certain related activities.

Peter Girke, Chief Country Representative of KAS, a German political foundation, talked to VOV about Vietnam’s chairmanship in 2020 that this will benefit ASEAN when Vietnam takes up the chairmanship. Vietnam is also a positive player with regard to regional and global integration effort.”

The ASEAN Chair should promote what the bloc has already achieved, boost internal cooperation, and elevate ASEAN’s external status.

Shahriman Lockman, a senior analyst with Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies, said “Vietnam sees a lot of potential in the region, combining its role as ASEAN Chair and as a member of the UN Security Council. In that position, you can speak not only for Vietnam but also on behalf of ASEAN at the most important forum.”

Indonesia’s Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Netalegawa said “It’s extremely encouraging to see Vietnam taking the Chairmanship of ASEAN. We are at the beginning of 2019 and Vietnam is already thinking of its plans.

It shows that for Vietnam, the issue of ASEAN chair is not only a technical issue of organization, but it’s about policy. Seeing what you’re doing gives me a great deal of encouragement and hope that ASEAN will benefit fully from Vietnam.”

2020 will mark the 5th anniversary of the ASEAN Community, time to review the building of the ASEAN Community and to launch action programs with ASEAN’s partners.

Vietnam will celebrate 25 years of ASEAN membership in 2020. Assuming ASEAN Chair will permit Vietnam to show that it can meet the expectations of all the ASEAN members and partners.

VOV5