Manila, Nov. 15 -- Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attended the 49th ASEAN Summit Retreat Session in Manila on the afternoon of November 15, chaired by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Addressing the meeting, PM Hung stressed that ASEAN should take a more proactive role in shaping the regional strategic environment to safeguard peace, security and development. In this spirit, he put forward three proposals.

First, ASEAN should build trust and address differences through dialogue. Regarding the East Sea, he called on ASEAN member states to coordinate closely and work with China towards an effective and substantive code of conduct (COC) in the East Sea consistent with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convent...