On the afternoon of September 13, at the Government Office, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received a delegation of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) Chairmen led by ASEAN BAC Chair 2024 Oudet Souvannavong, who is also Chairman of the Lao Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the occasion of attending the 101st Meeting of ASEAN BAC in Hanoi.
ASEAN BAC Chairman Oudet Souvannavong and ASEAN BAC Chairmen of other countries shared their condolences on the loss of life and property that Vietnam has suffered due to storm No. 3 and the heavy rains and floods in recent days; congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in socio-economic development in recent years; and highly appreciated Vietnam's role in contributing to building a resilient and cohesive ASEAN; a responsible member in the Greater Mekong region cooperation.
Chairman Oudet Souvannavong said that ASEAN BAC has been making efforts to promote trade, investment and integration cooperation within ASEAN and with partners. The focus is on cooperation in digital transformation, green and sustainable development; self-reliance in healthcare and food. In particular, connecting supply chains in the Mekong and extended Mekong countries, including Laos and Vietnam; at the same time, strengthening cooperation in the fields of finance, infrastructure and digital transformation.
The Chairman said that at the end of this year, ASEAN BAC will organize the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN BIS) in Vientiane, Laos; he hoped that the Vietnamese Government would support and that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh himself would attend and make important contributions to the success of the Summit.
Informing the ASEAN BAC Chairs of the countries about the damage caused by storm No. 3 and the heavy rains and floods in recent days in the northern provinces of Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sincerely thanked the ASEAN BAC Chairs of the countries for sharing and contributing to Vietnam in overcoming the consequences; affirming that Vietnam will continue to work with ASEAN countries to support Laos in successfully organizing the 44th-45th ASEAN Summits and related Summits, contributing to building an increasingly united and strong ASEAN Community.
The Prime Minister congratulated the success of the 101st ASEAN BAC Meeting recently held in Hanoi and the proposals and recommendations in the report on the ASEAN BAC program in 2024; hoping that the priority focuses that the Council is implementing will contribute to strongly promoting the process of innovation, perfecting institutions and policies, facilitating trade and investment, digital transformation, sustainable and inclusive development of ASEAN, especially new growth drivers... Thereby, helping businesses solve difficulties and take advantage of opportunities for development.
The Prime Minister said that the business community plays an indispensable role in contributing to this bright spot. ASEAN governments always consider businesses as the backbone of the ASEAN economy and the foundation for long-term and sustainable economic growth in the region.
With the role of a creator, the Governments of ASEAN countries always accompany, support and create the most favorable conditions for the business community and entrepreneurs to develop on the basis of shared vision, healthy competition, in the spirit of "harmonious benefits, shared risks", "working together, enjoying together, winning together and developing together".
Welcoming the ASEAN BAC Chairmen on the need for ASEAN to have preferential policies for ASEAN enterprises investing and doing business in ASEAN countries, and having separate channels for goods from other countries through border gates, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that ASEAN BAC, together with the Governments and people of ASEAN countries, implement the 5 companions.
Firstly, accompanying in building institutions and policies, because institutions are the resources of development, "resources come from thinking, motivation comes from innovation, strength comes from the people". Therefore, ASEAN BAC needs to promote the spirit of initiative, creativity and pioneering, closely coordinate with ASEAN's specialized agencies to promptly detect policy bottlenecks, make appropriate proposals and recommendations for ASEAN Governments to continue to improve institutions; standardize investment and business regulations; streamline procedures by applying digital transformation; further improve the investment and business environment; and minimize trade barriers.
Second, accompanying each other in economic connectivity in terms of infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, socio-cultural, health, education and people. Connectivity is the foundation for building a unified ASEAN Community in diversity, strength and self-reliance. Connectivity requires a comprehensive, all-people, all-regional and all-global approach. Connectivity must be inclusive in all economic, socio-cultural, health, education fields, etc. based on the principle of "taking people as the center, as the goal, driving force and resource for development". The connectivity agenda must aim to support regions and sub-regions in ASEAN to narrow the development gap, leaving no one behind, so that all people, all regions and all countries can participate in contributing and enjoying the common development achievements of ASEAN.
In particular, it is necessary to strengthen the connection of strategic infrastructure, both hard infrastructure in transportation, energy, etc. and soft infrastructure in digitalization, innovation, etc. among ASEAN countries on the basis of focusing on the public-private partnership model, thereby creating interconnectivity, promoting rapid and sustainable growth for the entire region.
Third, accompany in mobilizing resources, renewing traditional growth drivers and promoting new growth drivers in digital economy, green economy, knowledge economy. Accordingly, ASEAN BAC needs to research, grasp and advise businesses to focus on renewing traditional growth drivers such as investment, export, consumption and promote new growth drivers such as digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, knowledge economy, sharing economy, etc. These are inevitable trends to help ASEAN develop rapidly and sustainably.
Fourth, working together to build high-quality human resources, especially in the fields of digital transformation, green transformation, and high technology, with common standards for training, assessment, and mutual recognition among competency-based diploma systems that ASEAN countries are using. This is the key to improving labor productivity and the region's competitiveness with the world.
Fifth, accompany in building and managing smart, modern, innovative enterprises; accordingly, it is necessary to further promote the application of achievements of the 4th industrial revolution such as digital platforms, cloud computing, digital institutions, digital data, digital human resources, digital skills, safety, network security, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) in business administration to reduce costs, reduce time, improve competitiveness, production and business efficiency, thereby "catching up, progressing together and surpassing" the region and the world.
Informing that he will call on ASEAN leaders to have preferential policies for ASEAN enterprises, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hopes and believes that enterprises will innovate their thinking, ways of doing things, mobilize resources for mutual development, especially promoting solidarity and unity in ASEAN BAC with the aspiration to build an ASEAN that is united and unified in diversity, has its own way, but absorbs the quintessence of humanity, applies it creatively, flexibly, and in accordance with the crystallized traditional values of ASEAN; members, ASEAN BAC will continue to promote its pioneering role, making ASEAN the leading attractive destination for investors and contributing to promoting ASEAN's rapid and sustainable development.
In the spirit of "Governments creating and accompanying businesses", Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh accepted the invitation to attend the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN BIS) held later this year in Vientiane (Laos).
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