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| Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Meynardo Los Banos Montealegre (Photo: Philippine Embassy in Vietnam) |
APEC has created an important economic forum for 21 member economies in the Asia-Pacific region since its establishment 34 years ago in 1989. Vietnam's accession to APEC in 1998 has created favorable conditions for the country's rapid socio-economic development. Global economic integration and international markets have also benefited from Vietnam's APEC membership.
I believe that in the face of the challenges facing the international economy, APEC remains an effective venue and tool for meaningful ongoing dialogue among leaders of member economies, the business sector and academia. This year’s APEC theme “Creating a Resilient, Sustainable Future for All” is in line with the priorities of both Vietnam and the Philippines in ensuring sustainable economic growth.
As both our economies remain largely vulnerable to challenges such as climate change, energy insecurity and supply chain shocks, our shared views and recommendations will provide leaders from member economies with valuable and practical inputs.
The shared experiences and constraints faced by our private sectors will also serve to assist APEC leaders in developing business policies and business models that are more responsive to challenges; ensuring resilience, inclusiveness, and sustainability for the workforce and the shared environment.
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| ASEAN leaders attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia. (Photo: TA) |
Vietnam is highly regarded by the ASEAN community as an active and valuable partner for its cohesion and stability, contributing to the common success of ASEAN since joining the Association in 1995. Vietnam has also become an important member of APEC since 1998 and played a responsible role in a number of APEC-related forums, including successfully assuming the APEC Chairmanship in 2006 and 2017.
Vietnam’s active and responsible participation in these multilateral organizations demonstrates its priority for its increasingly important and growing responsibilities in the region and the international community. The Philippines is sympathetic to Vietnam’s role in these forums based on our shared commitment and efforts towards regional peace, stability of rules-based institutions, and sustainable and inclusive development.
The Vietnam-Philippines Strategic Partnership is not limited to the economic sphere. Both the Philippines and Vietnam share the same aspiration to ensure compliance with international law and the peaceful resolution of all disputes in the region. Both have the primary goal of ensuring peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, while respecting the national interests of each country. These common aspirations are the foundation for the deep and long-lasting Philippines-Vietnam relationship.
| Speaking to the press recently, Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Meynardo Los Banos Montealegre expressed his impression of the vibrant activities of various government agencies in Vietnam. Programs and projects that were stalled by Covid-19 over the past two years have been restarted with stronger and more enthusiastic participation from officials, employees and even the people. While Vietnam continues to be the Philippines' leading and reliable source of imported rice, two-way trade between the two countries can also be further improved in items such as electronics, semiconductors, equipment and spare parts. The Philippine Ambassador wants to see more Philippine companies and brands present in Vietnam. According to the Ambassador, dialogue mechanisms are important to ensure that the two countries maintain a healthy diplomatic relationship, which is the Philippines' top priority in its strategic partnership with Vietnam. |
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