WEF ASEAN 2018: Gov’t leader asks Facebook to further cooperate

Hanoi (VNA) – Facebook should closely coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam in its operation in the country, remove wrongful information that negatively affect the country’s national security, social order and safety as well as the peaceful life of the Vietnamese people.

So said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc while receiving Simon Milner, Vice President of Facebook in charge of the public policy in Asia – Pacific, in Hanoi on September 13 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) 2018. At the reception, the Government leader also asked Facebook to regularly exchange ideas with Vietnamese authorities so as to contribute to Vietnam’s development and its continuous growth.

For Facebook to obtain healthy development and make positive contributions to the life in Vietnam, the two sides should look for ways to coordinate in a more timely, effective and regular way, PM Phuc said. He also stressed that Facebook is a “close friend” of Vietnam with an increasing number of the users, and welcomed its viewpoint of contributing the building of a digital environment in Vietnam.

Milner, for his part, affirmed that Facebook stands ready to help Vietnam in relevant fields in the digital era, and to share ideas with Vietnam on issues confronted by many countries, especially web security. This, he said, is an important factor to ensure business and production and help improve the business and investment environment in Vietnam.

Speaking at the reception, Acting Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that Facebook’s prosperity, like that of other firms, goes along with Vietnam’s prosperity; and also like other firms operating in Vietnam, Facebook must abide by the country’s laws. The minister also asked Facebook to earmark part of its revenue to invest in research and development activities and open its representative office in Vietnam at an early date.

The three-day WEF ASEAN, themed “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, was started in Hanoi on September 11. This is the third time the WEF has chosen Vietnam as the venue for a regional WEF.

The WEF was established in 1971 as a non-profit foundation and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum engages the foremost political, business, and other leaders of society so as to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. –VNA