As the first partner of ASEAN beginning in 1974, Australia is one of leading partners of the bloc. At the 37th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN leaders agreed to convene annual ASEAN-Australia Summits from 2021 onwards. Australia has become the 7th partner maintaining annual meetings with ASEAN. Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Justin Hayhurst reiterated the nation’s commitment to increasing cooperation with the bloc at the 33rd ASEAN – Australia forum.
 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison had a telephone talk on January 21. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison co-chair the 2nd ASEAN – Australia Summit via video conference. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA  Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung at the 33rd ASEAN – Australia forum held via video conference. Photo: VNA  Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung hands over medical supplies to the Australian Ambassadors to Vietnam. Photo: Van Diep/VNA  Representatives of the Vietnamese Defense Ministry and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam pose for a photograph with officers and soldiers of the Level-2 field hospital No.3 who leave for a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Photo: Thanh Vu/VNA |
At the forum, Australia informed about the implementation of a 500 million Australian dollars (AUD) investment package announced by the Australian Prime Minister on the occasion of the ASEAN-Australia Summit in November last year to support a comprehensive recovery in the region. Also mentioned were its funding of 1 million AUD to the bloc’s Comprehensive Recovery Framework, 1 million AUD to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, and 21 million AUD to the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).
ASEAN member states lauded Australia’s commitments and effective cooperation, as well as the country’s active engagements and support to ASEAN’s efforts to promote dialogues and sustain regional stability and prosperity, and response to emerging challenges.
ASEAN and Australia agreed to work together in implementing their Plan of Action for 2020 – 2024 with a focus on prioritized sectors like economy-trade-investment, anti-terrorism, anti-transnational-crime, education, environmental protection, climate change, and development gap narrowing.
The two sides agreed to continue working closely to contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region, including security and stability in the East Sea. Australia underscored its support for ASEAN’s principle stance, and the bloc's role in promoting dialogue and trust, ensuring the full implementation of the Declaration of the Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and building a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea in line with international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
 A get-together was held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 22 by the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) to celebrate the 231st anniversary of Australia Day, showing the friendship and solidarity between the city’s people and their Australian counterparts. Photo: Xuan Khu/VNA  Australia commits to give priority on supporting COVID-19 vaccines for ASEAN countries. In the photo: Producing vaccine at CLS in Melbourne. Photo: AFP/VNA  Harvesting litchi in Luc Ngan, Bac Giang province for export to the markets of Australia, the US and China. Photo: VNA  Hai Duong longan to be shipped to Singapore, Australia, US and UK. Photo: Manh Minh/VNA |
Speaking about regional economic cooperation, the head of Vietnam's ASEAN SOM Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, on behalf of ASEAN member states, stressed that given the complexities facing the regional economy, ASEAN and Australia should strive to maintain the momentum of regional economic linkages and coordinate an effective implementation of important agreements. These include the agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Their contributions to maintaining an open market, stabilizing supply chain connections, supporting businesses, and speeding up recovery are also important.
| ASEAN and Australia agreed to continue working closely in contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region, including security and stability in the East Sea. |
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