HANOI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Economic ministers from the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Thursday agreed on several measures to connect supply chains and enhance economic cooperation within the bloc amid changing circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a significant result of the ministers' online meeting on COVID-19 response held on Thursday, Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam Tran Tuan Anh said at a press briefing held on the same day in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
The ministers reached high consensus on working closely to maintain, recover and promote supply chain in the region, considering this a top priority in economic cooperation in the near future, Anh noted.
The meeting approved the Hanoi Action Plan, which was built on the basis of a joint statement adopted at the ASEAN Economic Ministers Retreat in March, said the minister.
The action plan includes measures to reboot ASEAN's economy, such as maintaining commitments to market opening to ensure food security and enhancing the capacity for recovery and sustainability in regional supply chains, Vietnam News Agency cited the plan as saying on Thursday.
Apart from avoiding new and unnecessary non-tariff measures, the bloc will also build a platform to facilitate regional trade and promote and support supply chain connectivity, the news agency reported.
The ASEAN will also optimize technologies and digital commerce to assist enterprises, especially micro- small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to the news agency. Enditem
