Vietnamese, Singaporean PMs hold phone talks on bilateral cooperation

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a phone call with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Wednesday from Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

As reported by VOV, PM Lee congratulated Vietnam on the successes of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and PM Phuc’s re-election to the Politburo.

He also congratulated Vietnam’s achievements in containing the COVID-19 pandemic while making progress in socio-economic development, as well as the country’s fulfillment of its role as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020, which included the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, opening up new opportunities for trade and investment liberalization in the entire region.

PM Lee reaffirmed that Singapore cherishes its strategic partnership with Vietnam, especially against the backdrops of complicated regional and international developments.

PM Phuc, for his part, also noted how Singapore has been regarded as a “bright spot” in the region with regards to containing the pandemic and praised Singapore’s economic recovery initiatives including the setting up of “air travel bubble” and Connect@Changi, aiming at facilitating travel and reopening the borders.

He suggested the two sides cooperate in containing COVID-19 outbreaks and getting access to safe sources of COVID-19 vaccines; create favourable conditions for businesses and investors to restore production, trade, and investment; effectively utilise the bilateral relations within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and RCEP to promote trade and minimize disputes.

The two leaders held that the bilateral Strategic Partnership is growing effectively and substantially; affirmed to strengthen cooperation in fields in which both countries have potential such as agriculture, fisheries, finance, information technology, education and training, infrastructure, as well as other sectors aiming at meeting the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution-era such as clean energy development, smart cities, and smart urban solutions, innovation, digital economy, and digitalization.

Vietnam and Singapore should also step up the sharing of experience in economic management and development and human resources training, especially high-quality human resources, they said.

The two prime ministers also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Regarding the East Sea, the two leaders affirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation, maintenance of peace and security, and peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), moving towards an effective and practical Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Ha Noi on September 12, 2018. (Photo: VGP)

Earlier in late May, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed on the phone with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong bilateral and regional cooperation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PM Phuc appreciated the efforts and comprehensive measures undertaken by the Singaporean Government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak and mitigate its socio-economic impacts, noting his belief that Singapore will soon be able to put the epidemic under control.

He shared Vietnam’s experience in the transition to a new “normal” when the country promotes economic development while continuing with epidemic prevention and control measures.

For his part, PM Lee Hsien Loong said he was impressed by Vietnam’s success in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanked Vietnam for helping Singapore with medical supplies, which he said manifested the friendship and trustful partnership between the two countries.

He appreciated the role and initiatives of Vietnam as the Chair of ASEAN in 2020, which aimed at promoting intra-bloc cooperation as well as collaboration between ASEAN and its important partners in coping with and mitigating the impacts of the pandemic.

The two PMs agreed to make joint efforts to keep the impetus of the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership through maintaining high-level meetings and exchanges along with bilateral cooperation mechanisms, further strengthening linkages between the two economies and ensuring sustainable supply chains in the context of the world and regional economies are facing numerous challenges.

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