The Opening Ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits was followed by the Plenary Session of the 31st ASEAN Summit, which was held at the Philippines International Convention Centre (PICC). During the Plenary Session, His Majesty in a Titah among others also stated that ASEAN had made remarkable progress over the years especially in contributing to regional peace and stability and promoting economic growth. It was important for ASEAN to build on its achievements by prioritizing the integration efforts through the ASEAN Economic Community.

The Plenary Session began with Opening Remarks by His Excellency the President of the Republic of the Philippines and Chairman of ASEAN, whereby His Excellency welcomed the ASEAN Heads of State and Government as well as the ASEAN Secretary General.

During the Plenary Session, His Majesty in a Titah welcomed the projection that ASEAN is expected to be the world's fourth largest economy by 2030. In this regard, His Majesty urged ASEAN to step up its efforts in doubling intra-ASEAN trade by 2025 and to conclude the RCEP as soon as possible. His Majesty further called on ASEAN to quickly respond to the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by enhancing the region's readiness to reap its benefits especially with regard to the digital economy, which is projected to increase the regional market for e-commerce from 30 billion in 2016 to 200 billion US dollars in 2025. In view of the wide ranging impact of the digital economy, His Majesty also called for ASEAN Member States to work on appropriate policy responses in wide ranging areas. In addition, His Majesty underscored the importance of deepening ASEAN's relations with its dialogue partners to further promote regional peace and security. His Majesty applauded the strong friendship, trust, confidence and close cooperation shared by all ASEAN Member States. His Majesty was of the view that such ties formed the cornerstone of ASEAN's community building agenda. As a way of further promoting solidarity amongst the ASEAN peoples, His Majesty announced that Brunei Darussalam will provide 50 scholarships in enhancing professional communication skills, for nationals from ASEAN Member States over the next five years.

During the Plenary Session, ASEAN Leaders also agreed to appoint Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei Darussalam as the new Secretary-General of ASEAN for a five-year term from 20182022.

Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM

by Brudirect.com

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