Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the Summit. (Photo: VNA)

The statement reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthen the ASEAN Community and ASEAN’s centrality and unity to address shared challenges and advance ASEAN’s pandemic recovery. The leaders reiterated their commitment to working together to mitigate the impact of the pandemic through the five broad strategies of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF):  enhancing health systems, strengthening human security, maximizing the potential of the intra-ASEAN market and broader economic integration, accelerating inclusive digital transformation, and advancing towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

The leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea (known as the East Sea in Vietnam), voicing concerns about land reclamation and serious incidents in the area that have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and could undermine peace, security, and stability in the region. They warmly welcomed the steadily improving cooperation between ASEAN and China and the progress of substantive negotiations towards an effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) consistent with international law.

According to the statement, ASEAN leaders welcome continued contributions from ASEAN members and partners to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, which has already pledged 25.8 million USD.

They adopted the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy in response to complex crises and growing challenges and the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework (ATCAF) to facilitate the essential movement of people between and among ASEAN member states. They ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Electronic Commerce, acknowledged the new ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy (ATMS) 2021-2025, and approved the adoption of the Framework for Circular Economy, which sets out a structured pathway towards the ambitious long-term goals of resource efficiency, economic resilience, and sustainable growth for ASEAN.