SINGAPORE, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese President To Lam on Friday underscored the importance of ASEAN centrality in safeguarding regional peace, stability and development, calling for unity, dialogue and strategic autonomy amid growing geopolitical competition.
In a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 in Singapore, Lam said the Asia-Pacific region shares a common interest in peace, connectivity and development, and possesses deep experience in multi-layered cooperation.
"It is where ASEAN functions as a framework for cooperation, dialogue and balance," he stressed.
The ASEAN does have the motivation and resolve to ensure that competition does not slide into confrontation; that lines of connectivity do not become lines of division; and that one nation's security does not become another's insecurity, the top Vietnamese leader noted.
ASEAN centrality is neither taken for granted nor self-sustaining, Lam said, stressing that it can only be preserved through unity, strategic autonomy and the capacity to shape a common agenda.
The region welcomes engagement that is transparent, responsible, respectful of international law, supportive of ASEAN centrality, and conducive to reducing tensions, he added. ■