“The East Sea is one of the most strategic areas in the world, with its vital shipping lanes, rich marine ecosystems, and a key pillar for the livelihoods, cultural identity, and security of hundreds of millions of people,” the official said. “However, like other regions of the world, ASEAN waters face serious challenges such as climate change, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, marine pollution, overexploitation of fisheries resources, and growing geopolitical tensions,” he emphasized.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister noted that addressing these emerging challenges requires the bloc to address four priorities, including ensuring that the seas and oceans remain spaces of peace, cooperation for development, and shared responsibility; promoting an integrated global approach and regional efforts in ocean governance; recognizing marine spaces as essential drivers of prosperous development; and advancing global ocean governance based on cooperation, not competition.

Minh Chin also reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitments to be proactive in implementing policies and programs for the development of sustainable marine economies, the restoration of marine ecosystems, the promotion of cooperative relationships and the sharing and transfer of knowledge technology.

Vietnam has registered 15 voluntary commitments in various areas of ocean governance, focusing on “what is said, is done, and what is committed, must be effectively implemented,” the Prime Minister said.

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