Prime Minister’s US Trip Demonstrates Vietnam’s Foreign Policy

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his entourage arrived in Hanoi on May 19, successfully concluding their trip to the US to attend the ASEAN-US Special Summit, and to make visits to the US and the United Nations.

Rosy Huong

huongthhd@gmail.com May 20, 2022 | 08:15

Prime Minister’s US Trip Demonstrates Vietnam’s Foreign Policy

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the ASEAN-US Special Summit. Photo: VGP

The trip has contributed to promoting the relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the US, and between Vietnam and the UN and the US, while affirming Vietnam’s role and prestige in the international arena, VietnamPlus said.

During his week-long stay in the US, the PM visited the four cities of Washington D.C, Boston, New York, and San Francisco, with more than 60 activities. He attended and delivered speeches at the summit, and met with ASEAN leaders, including his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Singapore, and the Indonesian President.

Chinh also had meetings with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel, President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner.

He met President Joe Biden, and received senior officials of the US government such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and representatives of some US cities.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Joe Biden. Photo: VGP

The PM visited and delivered speeches at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Harvard Kennedy School, and attended and responded to questions on Vietnam’s economic, political, social and external affairs at seminars, workshops and conferences.

Chinh witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents and agreements between Vietnamese and US agencies and businesses, covering a wide range of spheres.

He had working sessions with leaders of major US groups and Vietnamese firms there, and visited tech giants like Intel, Apple and Google, and the New York Stock Exchange.

Despite his hectic schedule, the PM received US experts, scholars and friends who always love and support Vietnam, and had three meetings with Vietnamese communities in the country.

On this occasion, Vietnamese delegation members, including leaders of ministries, agencies and localities, carried out result-oriented activities.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Photo: VGP

The trip has demonstrated Vietnam’s consistent policy of independence and self-reliance, for peace, friendship, cooperation and development, the multilateralisation and diversification of relations, being a reliable friend and partner and a constructive and responsible member of the international community, and ensuring the highest interests of the nation, on the basis of the UN Charter and international law, in an equal, cooperative and mutually beneficial manner.

Through his presentations, Chinh also reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of building an independent, self-reliant economy in tandem with intensive, extensive, pragmatic, effective international integration, with building a socialist-oriented market economy, a law-governed socialist State and a socialist democracy as the pillars.

The trip is a success

The Government leader’s statements at the sessions and meetings reflected the common concerns of the countries; upheld the centrality of ASEAN, and the spirit of sincerity, trust and responsibility; and shared visions for world and regional issues and development orientations in line with the interests of ASEAN, the US and the international community, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said, as cited by Nhan dan newspaper.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Photo: VGP

According to Son, the special summit, taking place on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN-US partnership, is a milestone bringing the relationship to a new stage. The two sides agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and the US, and set out a series of new cooperation focuses, particularly in dealing with both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including post-pandemic economic recovery and development.

In his working trip, PM Chinh had meetings with leaders of the UN and some of its organisations, US President Joe Biden, leading US officials, and leaders of several US cities.

The Foreign Minister said that those meetings demonstrated Vietnam’s sincerity and sense of responsibility in the process of contributing to international affairs.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets OVs in San Francisco. Photo: VGP

Regarding PM Chinh’s speeches at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Harvard Kennedy University, Son said that these speeches delivered very important messages on the main views of the Vietnamese Party and State on international issues as well as affirming the country's foreign policy after the 13th National Party Congress.

The messages helped US scholars, researchers and people gain a better understanding of Vietnam.

The working trip by the Government leader also reaffirmed that economics and trade are an important pillar in the Vietnam-US relations. The PM attended and spoke at the Vietnam-US investment promotion conference, witnessed the hand-over of a series of cooperation agreements in various fields, and received leaders of leading US groups and overseas Vietnamese-owned enterprises.

It can be said that this working trip to the US by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation is a success, contributing to the successful implementation of the country’s foreign policy./.

Trade between Vietnam and the US surpassed $100 billion for the first time in 2021.

The number reached $29.4 billion in the first quarter of 2022, including $25.96 billion in exports to the US and nearly $3.4 billion in imports from this country, respectively rising 16.7% and falling 7.7% year on year.

The economies of Vietnam and the US are complementary to each other. Vietnam mainly ships electronic components and devices, apparel, footwear, and agro-fishery products to the US, which in turn sells production materials to the Southeast Asian nation such as cotton and timber.