Vietnam has said ASEAN always welcomes ideas and initiatives that contribute to common peace, stability and prosperity when it comes to possible enhancement of maritime cooperation between the Quad and the 10-nation bloc.  As the ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam has promoted the building of the ASEAN Community, affirmed the ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture and boosted the bloc’s external relations that are in line with the chairmanship’s theme “cohesive and responsive”, Spokesperson of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

“In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic which causes direct, long term and profound effects on the socio-economic of the region and the world, Vietnam wishes and stands ready with ASEAN countries and partners to work together to recover economies, stabilize people’s lives for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Asia-Pacific region,” said the Vietnamese spokesperson. Widely viewed as an arrangement to counter China, the Quad meeting on October 6 in Tokyo occurred alongside rising concerns among its four members regarding instances of Beijing’s aggressive behavior and questions about its role in the initial stages of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to Dr Sarah Teo, Research Fellow at RSIS.