On the afternoon of January 17 (local time), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and delivered a speech as the keynote speaker at the discussion session “Lessons from ASEAN” within the framework of the 2024 WEF Davos Conference.

Also discussing were Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, and Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emphasized that ASEAN has a friendly investment environment and is a mutually beneficial destination for investors and partners. Supply chains are decentralizing towards a number of ASEAN countries, as part of the “re-globalization” process. Vietnam is a typical destination with dynamic development and great stories. This is not only a benefit for one or a few countries but the whole world.

Speaking at the discussion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized three important factors that have brought about ASEAN's current development achievements: Solidarity and unity in diversity; promoting self-reliance within the bloc and each country; promoting inclusive and comprehensive development, taking people as the subject, center, goal and driving force of development.

Each ASEAN member country contributes to the development of ASEAN while promoting the unique potential, outstanding opportunities, competitive advantages and capabilities of each country while ensuring compliance with competition and the laws of supply and demand of the market.

Faced with new development opportunities such as the shift in supply chains, the Prime Minister said that this is an inevitable trend based on the laws of competition and supply and demand, and emphasized that countries can only maintain sustainable development when choosing a win-win approach, respecting the choices of each country, building trust based on sincerity, solidarity and balancing interests.

Regarding the digital transformation trend, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that the digital economy needs to be closely linked with the green economy, with mutual support and interaction.

This process must be implemented according to a roadmap with steps appropriate to each country's capacity, while paying attention to vulnerable groups; developing quickly and sustainably, without sacrificing fairness and social security.

The Prime Minister outlined his vision for ASEAN in the next 5-10 years as a united, united bloc, the growth center of the world economy where economies develop and leave no one behind.

Sharing the statements of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Prime Minister of Thailand said that it was Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh who suggested that Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam join forces to develop tourism under the model of "4 countries, 1 destination".

The Thai Prime Minister analyzed that cheap labor costs may be an initial competitive factor but are a challenge for the development of ASEAN countries. He called on countries to join hands to raise the region's minimum wage and improve competitiveness to attract foreign investment.

Speakers at the discussion session highly appreciated Vietnam's role in building solidarity within ASEAN and contributing responsibly, joining hands with ASEAN member countries in handling regional and global issues.

The speakers repeatedly emphasized and expressed agreement with the Prime Minister's opinions, views and vision on how to take advantage of opportunities and handle challenges in the process of ASEAN integration and win-win cooperation.