Within the framework of the 47th ASEAN Summit and related meetings held in Kuala Lumpur on 27 October 2025, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, together with ASEAN Leaders and dialogue partners, attended the 5th RCEP Summit chaired by Malaysia. The Prime Minister highlighted RCEP’s vital role in promoting regional trade, investment, and supply chains, reaffirming Viet Nam’s commitment to fully implementing the Agreement and supporting the multilateral trading system and the WTO.

Within the framework of the 47th ASEAN Summit and related Summits held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 27 October 2025, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính joined Leaders of ASEAN Member States and partner countries (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China) to attend the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit, chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the ASEAN Chair for 2025.

This was the first RCEP Summit since the Agreement was signed in November 2020 (during Viet Nam’s ASEAN Chairmanship) and entered into full force on 2 June 2023. The meeting provided an opportunity for Leaders to exchange views on the global economic situation and regional cooperation under the RCEP framework, discuss strategic directions for the next phase to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Agreement, advance the accession process for new members, and prepare for the general review of RCEP scheduled for 2027.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính commended and highly appreciated Malaysia, as the ASEAN Chair for 2025, and other members for their efforts in organizing this meaningful Summit. He stressed that the convening of the Summit demonstrates the strong commitment of RCEP members to promoting deeper and more substantive regional integration, thereby enabling economies to effectively respond to emerging challenges. The Prime Minister also emphasized the crucial role of RCEP in fostering economic development in the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting its tangible benefits in trade, investment, and regional supply chains, which lay the foundation for sustainable development and enhanced competitiveness among member economies.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed Viet Nam’s support for, and commitment to, the full and serious implementation of RCEP obligations. He underscored Viet Nam’s proactive engagement and cooperation with other members to further expand and improve the quality of collaboration under RCEP. He stressed that Viet Nam values RCEP as a “bridge” that connects economies at different levels of development, enabling shared benefits, self-sustained growth, and common prosperity. He also reiterated Viet Nam’s strong support for the multilateral trading system, recognizing the WTO as the cornerstone of a fair, transparent, and mutually beneficial trade order, and affirmed Viet Nam’s readiness to participate actively in the WTO reform process.

The Summit concluded successfully with the adoption of the Joint Leaders’ Statement on RCEP, which reaffirmed support for ASEAN’s centrality and the shared commitment to promoting open, inclusive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking regional economic integration. The Statement also reaffirmed members’ strong commitment to the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core-open, transparent, fair, and rules-based—ensuring predictability and non-discrimination among trading partners. It further underscored RCEP’s central role in driving regional economic integration, strengthening resilience, and fostering sustainable growth, particularly amid ongoing global economic volatility and uncertainty.

Source: Compiled by the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam