Leaders and officials from Southeast Asian nations pose for a group photo at the ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi on Tuesday. DUONG VAN GIANG/AP
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations should not merely participate in global trends, but help shape them, said Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung at the 3rd ASEAN Future Forum held in Hanoi on Tuesday.
In an increasingly fragmented and competitive world, ASEAN must play a stronger role in shaping emerging norms, rules and frameworks for cooperation, and in addressing differences on the basis of international law, Hung said while addressing the forum's opening session, according to the Viet Nam Government Portal.
"ASEAN should become a center for dialogue, a focal point for cooperation, and an anchor of trust," he said.
Under the theme "Shaping a Shared Future Together: Peace, Prosperity, and People-Centered", the two-day forum was attended by more than 500 government officials, academics, business executives, and representatives from regional and international organizations.
