Director of the Vietnam Economic Research Institute (VERI), Hiroyuki Moribe,

In an interview with a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Japan, he said Vietnam had responded well to the pandemic by deciding to hold the ASEAN Summit via video conference. As ASEAN Chair, Vietnam assumed the burden of responsibility for leading the bloc in outlining measures to address a wide range of important issues, he said, adding that many countries have lauded Vietnam’s organising of the summit, which involved the participation of powerful nations such as China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

With the theme of ASEAN 2020 - “Cohesive & Responsive” - Moribe said it fit the circumstances and the summit, which saw parties adopt the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework to cope with the outbreak.

Though COVID-19 drove many nations to carry out a “country first” policy, Vietnam maintained uninterrupted operations of production supply chains and promoted the signing of a number of free trade agreements. Moribe praised the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact.