US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: Nguyen Tien Anh Tuan

“A decade since the United States and Vietnam established the Comprehensive Partnership and nearly 28 years since the two countries normalized their diplomatic relations, we have built a relationship that has grown strongly, dynamic and effective," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a press conference on the afternoon of April 15.

Secretary of State Blinken said at these meetings in Vietnam, he focused on how the United States can continue to support Vietnam's success. Thereby, it benefits the people of Vietnam, the people of the United States, and the entire region.

“Our two nations are working together for a broad mutual benefit and we believe that, by supporting Vietnam's ambitions, we will also advance our own: from creating jobs for Americans and strengthening American businesses, to taking more strides toward addressing the climate crisis that affects us all and preventing pandemics," stated Blinken. "I also focus on how our two countries promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, with peace, respect for the rules-based international order."

Blinken also said the U.S. and Vietnamese delegations this time discussed the two countries' efforts to promote widespread prosperity in Vietnam and across the region, including through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).

Vietnam participated in negotiations on all four pillars of the IPEF, thereby helping to lead efforts on issues that will shape the economy in the 21st century.

These include supply chain resilience, clean energy transition, and digital connectivity – which in turn benefit Americans and people around the world.

In addition, the two sides discussed mutual respect for ASEAN centrality and our close partnership through regional economic frameworks, including APEC.

Blinken said the US appreciates Vietnam's indispensable leadership in addressing development challenges in the Mekong region - which is worsened by the construction of dams, climate change and overfishing.

The US Secretary of State reaffirmed that the two sides are also developing a bilateral economic partnership. The United States is helping Vietnam push forward with important reforms that Vietnam has been implementing – including labor, intellectual property, and fair trade. Those are the reforms that have made Vietnam one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Also, US Secretary of State believes Vietnam can achieve its goal of becoming a high-income, connected nation by 2045 by pursuing growth that promotes all communities, while building resilience to adapt to climate change.

The United States knows that Vietnam is increasingly vulnerable to threats posed by the climate crisis. As Vietnam takes steps to become a leader in the clean energy transition, the United States is also investing in Vietnam's enormous potential.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: Nguyen Tien Anh Tuan

According to Secretary of State Blinken, the United States is launching new bilateral climate initiatives that Vice President Harris announced during his visit to Vietnam in August 2021.

It ranges from conserving ecosystems and reducing emissions from rice farming in the Mekong Delta to expanding a market-driven and clean energy system, expanding the use of electric vehicles to motivate the private sector to take action on environmental protection.

The United States is also promoting the power of regional frameworks such as the Just Energy Transition Partnership, which Vietnam has just joined – in which it will deploy US$15.5 billion to help Vietnam meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goal Net Zero 2050, and the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership.

The Secretary of State affirmed cooperation with Vietnam in many aspects, including public health, recently the establishment of the National CDC Office in Vietnam:

“We have worked closely to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, with the US funding more than 40 million doses of the vaccine, after Vietnam donated millions of protective equipment during the initial phase of the pandemic, when the United States is at its most critical. I must say that this is the most vivid evidence of countries standing together in a time when mutual assistance is most needed."

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