Vietnam, Singapore aim to lift strategic partnership ties to higher level
Vietnam, Singapore aim to lift strategic partnership ties to higher level
Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have agreed to strengthen the strategic partnership between their countries, aiming to upgrade it to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man (R) shakes hands with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at their meeting in Singapore, December 2, 2024. Photo: Vietnam News Agency |
The agreement was reached on Monday during a meeting held as part of Man's official visit to Singapore, made at the invitation of Speaker of the Parliament Seah Kian Peng.
Welcoming Man and his spouse on their first official visit to Singapore, PM Wong believed this decision will establish key directions to further strengthen and deepen the relationship between the two countries in the future.
The two leaders enjoyed looking back on their diplomatic journey since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973, especially since they set up a strategic partnership in 2013.
Both sides agreed this has enjoyed fruitful development, underpinned by deepened political trust and vigorous economic, trade, and investment ties.
Singapore has maintained its position as the second-largest investor in Vietnam, with more than 3,800 projects worth over US$81 billion.
Both countries share the same view that the network of eighteen Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) in 13 provinces and cities of Vietnam serves as a symbol of successful economic cooperation.
The two leaders affirmed their determination to further promote this important pillar of cooperation by promoting investment ties based on the advantages of each country, especially in developing a sustainable and smart VSIP system.
They also discussed expanding their cooperation in security, defense, education, training, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The two nations will also create breakthroughs in new growth areas such as green logistics, data center construction, semiconductor chip manufacturing, clean energy, carbon credits, food security, and green finance.
Based on these good cooperation prospects, Chairman Man and PM Wong agreed to proceed with steps to elevate the current partnership to a higher level.
Man suggested that Singapore continue to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese businesses operating in the city-state and the community of around 25,000 Vietnamese people living there.
In regard to shared global and regional issues, both have pledged to keep giving support to each other at multilateral forums and organizations and to maintain ASEAN’s solidarity and central role in strategic matters, including the East Vietnam Sea dispute.
PM Wong said he hopes to visit Vietnam in 2025 and asked NA Chairman Man to convey his invitation to Party General Secretary To Lam to visit Singapore.
Since 1996, Singapore has always been one of Vietnam's largest trade partners, with two-way trade increasing year after year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
In the first 11 months of 2024, the bilateral turnover is estimated to reach $9.6 billion, up 17.5 percent year on year.
With such results, Vietnam and Singapore remain each other’s fourth-largest trading partners in the Southeast Asian region.
