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The fourth Cyber Policy Dialogue of ASEAN-US, which was held on October 19 this year was focused on framing the work required to be done in order to reduce the 'misperception' and 'escalation in cyberspace', the US Department of State said on Tuesday.
The ASEAN-US joint statement said, "The Dialogue acknowledged the work that has been done in fostering greater regional cybersecurity cooperation and capacity building, as well as the importance of continued implementation of cyber confidence-building measures to reduce the risk of misperception and escalation in cyberspace." It added, "This includes efforts advanced through the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, the UN Cybercrime Treaty, the ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies. The Dialogue also committed to increasing efforts on capacity building and regional cybersecurity cooperation." The dialogue between ASEAN and the US demonstrated a strong partnership and a shared vision of an open, peaceful, interoperable, reliable, and secure cyberspace that supports international trade and commerce, strengthens international security, and fosters economic prosperity, free expression, and innovation. The joint statement also underscored the ASEAN-US Leaders' on Cybersecurity Cooperation adopted at the Sixth ASEAN-US Summit in November 2018, which reaffirmed its shared vision of "a peaceful, secure, and resilient regional cyberspace." The dialogue included a discussion of strengthening regional cooperation on cyber capacity building, including through initiatives and programmes such as the US-Singapore Third Country Training Programme on Cybersecurity, the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership, the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Center and the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Center of Excellence -- and ASEAN's efforts to build its capacity to protect critical infrastructure, which includes Industrial Control Systems, and efforts to combat cybercrime. According to the Joint Statement, the dialogue advances the cooperation between the United States and ASEAN outlined under the ASEAN-US Strategic Plan of Action, the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the principles and vision of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. The Dialogue committed to exploring the possibility of convening the fifth ASEAN-US Cyber Policy Dialogue in 2024 on the sidelines of Singapore International Cyber Week The US Department of State shared further that the Cyber Policy Dialogue held virtually on February 1, 2023, fostered an exchange of views on the regional and international cyber environment, as well as domestic cyber policies and priorities, including cooperation in international and regional venues. (ANI)
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