The 14^th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting Plus Three—China, Japan, Korea–(AMEM+3) was held in Pasay City, the Philippines on 28 September 2017. The Meeting was chaired by The Philippine Secretary of Energy, Mr. Alfonso G. Cusi, and co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Li Fanrong, Deputy Administrator of National Energy Administration (NEA) of China, Mr. Atsushi Taketani, Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan; and H.E. Mr. Park Won-joo, Deputy Minister for Energy and Resource of the Republic of Korea. The Meeting was also attended by the ASEAN Energy Ministers or their representatives; Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the plus three (+3) countries (China, Japan and Republic of Korea). Heads of delegates from ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE), Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities/Authorities (HAPUA), ASEAN Secretariat, and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) were also in attendance.

During the Meeting, the Ministers affirmed the need to achieve energy security with economic and environmental sustainability, recognised the importance of developing high-quality and resilient energy infrastructures, bearing in mind the lifecycle costs, environmental impacts and safety aspects of projects. The Ministers also affirmed the importance of ASEAN+3 cooperation towards energy sustainability in the region amidst developments.

Additionally, the Ministers acknowledged the strong start of the first-year implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2025, and the launches of the first ASEAN Energy Cooperation Report 2017 as well as the 5^th ASEAN Energy Outlook. All parties reasserted that the realisation of energy connectivity and market integration would contribute to the achievement of energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability for the region. In this regard, the Ministers reiterated their commitment to support ASEAN in the implementation of the APAEC through various activities, such as capacity building, joint publications, knowledge sharing and information exchange amongst the Member States. (SBS.  Photo credit:  NOC, the Philippines)