Việt Nam,ệtNamSingaporePMshold talksandagree ty so barcelona Singapore PMs hold talks and agree to optimise Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

March 26, 2025 - 14:36 Your browser does not support the audio element. This is the first high-level trip of the Singaporean leader to Việt Nam since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership earlier this month.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong, together with their wives, in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photos Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong held talks in Hà Nội on Wednesday, agreeing on decisive and timely measures for enhancing political trust and creating new breakthroughs for the two countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Vietnamese Government leader highlighted the significance of PM Wong’s official visit, saying that this is the first high-level trip since the two countries upgraded their ties during Vietnamese Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s official visit to Singapore earlier this month.

It is also a highlight for 2025, which marks the 80th anniversary of Việt Nam’s National Day and the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s, sending a strong message about the two countries’ determination to realise the new cooperation framework, he said.

The host congratulated Singapore on its development achievements and wished the country success in organising its general election in 2025. He expressed his belief that the city state will successfully implement the Forward Singapore (Forward SG) and 'Singapore Dream' initiatives, thus building a fair, harmonious and increasingly prosperous society.

Chính said that Việt Nam is implementing a strategy of accelerating and making breakthroughs to achieve double-digit growth from 2026 onwards, towards entering a new era of the nation’s rise and prosperous, civilised and thriving development.

For his part, Wong expressed his delight at his first visit to Việt Nam as the PM of Singapore, stressing that his trip aims to promote the implementation of cooperation outcomes between the two countries.

He reiterated that Việt Nam is one of Singapore’s most important partners in the region, and congratulated Việt Nam on its remarkable achievements after 40 years of theĐổi Mới (Renewal) process to become one of the leading economies in ASEAN.

The Singaporean PM emphasised the historic significance of the establishment of the partnership, stating that Việt Nam being Singapore’s first comprehensive strategic partner in ASEAN reflects the trust, close-knit ties, and aspirations of both countries’ leaders and peoples to develop Việt Nam–Singapore relations more extensively, intensively and effectively.

Both leaders expressed their satisfaction with the robust development of the bilateral relations. Singapore has maintained its position as the second-largest foreign investor in Việt Nam, with two new Việt Nam–Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) getting investment approval, expanding their network to 20 facilities across 14 cities and provinces.

Bilateral trade volume has recorded steady growth, reaching US$10.3 billion in 2024, with Việt Nam emerging as Singapore’s largest rice exporter.

The PMs also acknowledged considerable advancements in defence, security, education, technology, tourism, labour and people-to-people exchanges.

They committed to decisive and timely measures to bolster political trust, creating breakthroughs for the comprehensive strategic partnership. They aim to swiftly complete and effectively carry out an action programme, bringing in full play their new cooperation framework for 2025-30.

The two sides concurred to enhance the exchange of delegations at all levels, effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and reinforce defence and security collaboration on the basis of mutual confidence and understanding, contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.

They pledged to enhance economic connectivity through five key pillars of the Việt Nam–Singapore Connectivity Framework Agreement and the Green Economy-Digital Economy Partnership, positioning the bilateral cooperation as the regional exemplar.

Vietnamese and Singaporean leaders hold official talks in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Chính proposed that Singapore create favourable conditions for Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products and processed food to hit the shelves of its distribution system. He also suggested developing the VSIP 2.0 network with a focus on sustainability and smart technologies to optimise high-quality investment attraction.

Wong agreed to clarify key aspects of upgrading the VSIP network, ensuring greener and more intelligent and efficient development. He also endorsed the Vietnamese leader’s 'six major goals' proposal, which encompasses deeper political trust, more substantive defence cooperation, more effective economic connectivity, stronger people-to-people exchanges, more breakthrough science-technology collaboration and closer international regional cooperation.

The Singaporean PM also highlighted the need for substantive development in offshore wind energy export, carbon credit exchange, and fintech collaboration through the cross-border retail payment connection project using QR codes and data transmission, which helps facilitate business operations.

The two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in key areas, including education, workforce training, food security, cultural and art exchanges, tourism, aviation, business-to-business and people-to-people connections.

PM Chính proposed that Singapore receive Vietnamese workers under its labour visa scheme, expand the range of accepted professions, facilitate Vietnamese language education in schools with a significant number of Vietnamese students, and help promote the role of the Vietnamese expat community there.

On regional and multilateral cooperation, both host and guest commended their nations’ close coordination and mutual support in their candidacies for posts within UN organisations.

They agreed to collaborate with other ASEAN member states to maintain the bloc’s solidarity, unity, and centrality and advance sustainable development in subregions, including the Mekong.

The two PMs agreed to maintain ASEAN's shared stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), underscoring the importance of maritime and aviation freedom and safety.

They said the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) must be fully and effectively implemented, and an environment must be fostered that fosters the development of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the waters (COC) in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong witness the signing ceremony of cooperation agreements in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Following their talks, the Vietnamese and Singaporean leaders witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements, including a letter of intent on developing an action programme for the countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Other pacts cover offshore wind power trade, cross-border QR code payments, digital development and innovation and people-to-people exchanges. — VNA/VNS

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