Viet Nam contributes to promoting ASEAN’s digital economy and food security

As ASEAN leaders convene for the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 26, Viet Nam’s role and its proposals are considered particularly significant in shaping the joint declaration and the overall outcomes of this year’s summit.

In an interview with a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in Kuala Lumpur, Dr. Zokhri Idris, a senior analyst on international relations at the University of Malaya, said that Viet Nam is regarded as a strong potential driver of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), thanks to its outstanding competitiveness in manufacturing and production.

Since joining the bloc, Viet Nam has made active contributions by providing a skilled workforce and economic zones that enable ASEAN enterprises to thrive.

Viet Nam’s rapid economic growth, particularly its competitiveness in highly industrialized sectors such as textiles and manufacturing, is seen as adding significant value to ASEAN’s economic integration process.

The current challenge for Viet Nam, he noted, is to ensure sustainable GDP growth while coping with U.S. tariff measures.

Dr. Zokhri expressed hope that through economic integration, the supply-demand linkage between ASEAN and Viet Nam can be further strengthened to create a win–win situation for all parties.

Moreover, Viet Nam is actively implementing a number of strategic economic policies with a forward-looking vision. These policies focus on developing high technology, attracting investment, promoting clean energy transition, advancing the digital economy, and strengthening education and high-quality human resource training.

Such strategies, Dr. Zokhri noted, could bring substantial added value to the ASEAN Vision 2045 - so long as they are harmonized and coordinated with the existing development pathways of other ASEAN economies.

In the agricultural sphere, Dr. Zokhri underscored that Viet Nam has been playing a proactive role in deepening regional cooperation. He referred to the recent remarks of Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Quoc Tri at the 47th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting held in Pasay City, the Philippines. During the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation called for intensified regional collaboration in digital agriculture and climate-smart agriculture as essential approaches to strengthening resilience, fostering innovation, and building sustainable and inclusive food systems for the region.

Viet Nam also reiterated its view that technology transfer and technological application in agriculture are of paramount importance, particularly as ASEAN countries continue to rely heavily on the agricultural sector as a key pillar of their economies and livelihoods.

Viet Nam’s readiness for smart agriculture will play an important role in ensuring food security across ASEAN and minimizing the risk of the region falling into a severe food crisis.

Dr. Zokhri emphasized that Viet Nam’s contributions and policy proposals are especially well aligned with the key economic priorities defining the agenda of this year’s ASEAN Summit. These include efforts to deepen regional economic integration in the spirit of sustainability, strengthen supply chain resilience, and accelerate the transition toward a digital and innovation-driven economy.

Looking ahead to the outcomes of the forthcoming summit, Dr. Zokhri observed that ASEAN leaders are confronting a set of complex and pressing economic challenges. Among the most critical is the search for viable strategies to mitigate the impact of global supply chain disruptions, particularly those stemming from U.S. tariff measures and shifting trade dynamics.

Another notable highlight on the summit’s agenda is the accession of Timor-Leste as the 11th economy of the bloc. The granting of full membership status to Timor-Leste is expected to inject fresh momentum into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), further reinforcing the bloc’s commitment to inclusivity and regional integration.

On the political front, according to Dr. Zokhri, one of the anticipated outcomes of the 47th ASEAN Summit is the issuance of a declaration reaffirming ASEAN’s long-standing principle of neutrality in the face of intensifying competition among global powers. Such a reaffirmation, he suggested, would send a clear signal of ASEAN’s unity and determination to maintain its central role in the evolving regional architecture.

Reflecting on past experiences, Dr. Zokhri recalled the 2012 incident when ASEAN was unable to issue a joint communiqué regarding the South China Sea. However, he emphasized that there are currently no clear signs or concrete evidence indicating that the present geopolitical landscape will have any direct impact on the outcomes of this year’s ASEAN Summit.