Amid tensions between the Philippines, Vietnam and China, Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario on Wednesday welcomed the assumption of Vietnamese Foreign Vice Minister Le Loung Minh of

his post as the new secretary general of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Minh will be filling in the place vacated by Thailand’s Surin Pitsuwan. The Asean changes its leadership every five years according to alphabetical order.

“We welcome and congratulate Vice Minister Le Loung Minh of Vietnam on his assumption as secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. With his extensive professional experience and qualifications, we are confident that he will ably meet the challenges of Asean as the [10] countries work towards establishing a community that is politically cohesive, economically integrated and socially responsible,” del Rosario said in a statement.

The Vietnamese official visited the Philippines in early December as part of his tour to Asean countries.

Del Rosario added that the Philippines will fully support Minh’s visions for the 10-member bloc, which came under fire last year for its failure to come out with a united stance regarding the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Four members—the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam—of Asean are
currently embroiled in a tensed territorial dispute with China.

Taiwan is also a claimant to the resource-rich islands.

Vietnam’s leadership is being seen as a step forward for Hanoi and Manila, who are most vocal in criticizing Beijing for its apparent disregard of international maritime laws in asserting its claims in the region.

Minh served as an ambassador to the United Nations.