Upholding the fundamental principles; solidarity, self-reliance, promoting ASEAN's central role, while strengthening connectivity in responding to uncertain changes in the world as well as mastering emerging technologies.
This is the general opinion of most delegates when attending and discussing at the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2025 taking place on February 25-26 in Hanoi - one of the largest multilateral events hosted by Vietnam in 2025.
With the theme: "Building a united, inclusive and resilient ASEAN in a changing world," at the Forum, more than 600 delegates attended in person, including over 230 international delegates, along with delegates sending messages, shared and analyzed to clarify the opportunities and challenges in the immediate and long-term future of the ASEAN Community.
In his speech at the opening session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pointed out a number of challenges for ASEAN in the future, which are the following trends: political polarization; population aging; resource depletion; diversification of markets, products, and supply chains; greening of production, business, and services; and digitalization of all human activities.
That context poses many difficult problems but at the same time opens up rare opportunities for ASEAN to affirm its position and make a breakthrough.
The Prime Minister's comments received consensus and sharing from delegates attending the Forum.
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa emphasized a number of trends that will impact ASEAN in the coming time, such as demography, digital transformation, cross-border threats, epidemics, climate change, etc.; in which, digital transformation is an area that ASEAN needs to pay special attention to in order to catch up with global development trends.
From an international relations perspective, Professor Simon Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Studies, said that the world is witnessing a decline in international cooperation, and emphasized the challenges to the region from competition between major countries.
In the context of many challenges as above, what should ASEAN do, how should it determine the direction to turn challenges into opportunities, continue to affirm its position and central role in the region, and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity for Southeast Asia and the world? These questions were answered by leaders, scholars and experts at the Forum.
As one of the speakers participating in the discussion at the Forum and former Head of ASEAN SOM of Vietnam, Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh suggested orientations for ASEAN.
Accordingly, first of all, ASEAN is present in a dynamic region with 58 years of operation. ASEAN has its own strengths, as a collective, as a connector of regions and as a leading partner in the world, able to connect even with the most competitive partners.
ASEAN is not only developing as an organization, but also has the resonance of its member countries. Therefore, each member country must try to keep up with that development momentum.
Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh also said that ASEAN must promote economic connectivity, self-reliance and resilience within ASEAN and regional cohesion. ASEAN has successfully completed the integration process over the past few decades, and must upgrade to improve intra-bloc connectivity and economic-trade relations with partners. In this new context, ASEAN must catch up with the trend of digital transformation, green transformation and innovation.
Regarding ASEAN's working methods, Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh said that for a long time, ASEAN has worked based on consensus and actively contributed to common tasks.
In order to promote its central role alongside the consensus principle, ASEAN needs to promote the decision-making process to be more proactive, faster and more effective. First of all, ASEAN must maintain consultation, continue to engage and exchange within the bloc as well as with other partners.
In addition, there are many issues related to competition between major powers. Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh said that major powers do not always have the same interests as ASEAN, but each topic and each issue can overlap with ASEAN, such as ensuring the sustainability of the supply chain. China, the United States and sub-multilateral mechanisms all address these topics.
“This forum reminds us that ASEAN is in a dynamic and geostrategically important region. Over the past 58 years, ASEAN has demonstrated its strength, and now the Association needs to innovate, update and promote proactiveness in a changing world,” Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh emphasized.
Along with traditional and non-traditional security challenges, the emergence of disruptive emerging technologies is adding to the uncertainties, forcing every government, business and individual to strive to adapt.
With that meaning, AFF 2025, the plenary session with the theme "Governing emerging technologies to ensure comprehensive security" is a new point of the Forum, attracting the attention and exchange of many international leaders, experts and scholars.
Through discussion, delegates shared the view that, in order to build a united, inclusive and resilient ASEAN, solutions are needed to effectively manage new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to serve the interests of the people and at the same time promote sustainable development in the region.
According to Professor Matthias C. Kettemann, University of Innsbruck (Austria), ASEAN is facing a great opportunity to take the lead in the field of AI as well as AI governance and build a legal framework for global AI governance, thereby ensuring that the use of AI will comply with ethical principles when pursuing global digital initiatives.
If ASEAN wants to harmonize the benefits of AI and ensure seamless integration in AI, it is essential to strengthen AI in a transparent manner without compromising innovation, Professor Matthias C. Kettemann stressed. Accordingly, ASEAN policymakers need to come up with clear legal instruments to clearly define responsibilities when applying AI.
It can be seen that, in its second edition, the ASEAN Future Forum in Vietnam continues to strengthen its brand, being a meeting place for lively discussions on topics that are considered very comprehensive and inclusive of the issues that ASEAN faces on its development journey.
The breakthrough discussions and proposals at the Forum continue to affirm ASEAN’s central position in a volatile world; and are a valuable reference source as ASEAN finalizes its strategic program for the Community Vision 2045./.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/aff-2025-khang-dinh-vi-the-cua-asean-trong-the-gioi-nhieu-bien-dong-244089.html
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