Strengthening bilateral cooperation

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee paid a State visit to Viet Nam from September 15-17 at the invitation of State President Truong Tan Sang.

During his stay in Viet Nam, President Pranab Mukherjee hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang and had separate meetings with Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, PM Nguyen Tan Dung and NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

At these meetings, both sides agreed to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries, focusing on politics, national defense and security, economics, science and technology, oil and gas, people-to-people exchange among others.

The two countries also agreed to lift up the two-way trade value to US$7 billion by 2015 and US$ 15 billion by 2020.

Illustrative image. – File photo

The two Presidents witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation agreements in the areas of customs support, bank credits, basa fish breeding, animal health quarantine, youth cooperation, aviation services, and oil & gas.

During his visit to the US from September 14-19, Deputy PM Vu Van Ninh discussed ways to beef up the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations as well as trade and investment linkages between the two countries.

Deputy PM Ninh met with US Trade Representative Michael Froman, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Chairman of the US House of Representatives’ Committee for Finance Ron Wyden and Chairman of the Senate’s Budget Committee David Camp and others.

The Government of Viet Nam is determined to coordinate with the US and other parties to step up the conclusion of TPP negotiations, affirmed Deputy PM Ninh.

He  asked the US to be more flexible in the negotiation on opening the market to Vietnamese exports, especially with regard to garments, textiles and footwear.

The two sides also discussed a number of other issues, including the US’s recognition of Viet Nam’s market economy regulations, and the implementation of a catfish supervision program for tra and basa fish from Viet Nam.

Viet Nam and Canada have agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including economics, trade, science and technology, and education.

The agreement was reached during the talks between Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh and Canadian FM John Baird as part of Mr. Minh’s official visit to Canada from September 29-30.

Canadian FM John Baird highly valued Viet Nam’s socio-economic development and international integration achievements as well as the Southeast Asian country’s role in the region.

He stated that developing ties with Viet Nam is part of his country’s foreign policy for Asia-Pacific.

After the talks, the two sides signed an agreement to beef up cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

During his stay in Canada, Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh also met with Canadian Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Christian Paradis, Trade Minister Ed Fast and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

In the Netherlands, Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai and Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz co-chaired the 4th session of the Viet Nam-Netherlands Intergovernmental Commission on climate change adaptation and water management.

Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai and Minister Melanie Schultz also inked the Minutes of the 4th session of the Viet Nam-Netherlands Intergovernmental Commission on climate change adaptation and water management.

On the occasion, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai and Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz signed a Memorandum of Understanding on water planning for the Red-Thai Binh River Basin.

During his visit to Finland from September 25-26, Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai paid courtesy call to PM Alexander Stubb.

The PM lauded the cooperative relations between Viet Nam and Finland over the past 40 years, asserting that Finland is looking forward to strengthening multi-faced relations with Viet Nam, especially in trade and investment.

The two sides agreed to promote the relationship by exchanging delegations at all levels, closely cooperating and supporting each other at multi-lateral forums and international organizations, boosting the signing of some cooperative agreements such as the Air Transport Agreement, the visa exemption Agreement for diplomatic passport holders and the Educational Cooperation Agreement.

Fostering multilateral cooperation

Speaking at the 6th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting, PM Nguyen Tan Dung called for stronger cooperation and experience-sharing activities, especially in human resource development, among APEC members, regarding these as key measures to revitalize economic growth and ensure social and human development.

Viet Nam selected human resource development, particularly high-quality workforce, as a strategic breakthrough to support sustainable socio-economic development, economic restructuring, and transformation of growth model.  

The country is also integrating deeply into cooperative mechanisms at regional and international levels, especially the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and free trade agreements with high criteria on human resources, stated PM Dung.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the China-ASEAN Expo  2014 (CAEXPO) and the 11th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) in China ’s Nanning city on September 16, Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh stressed that ASEAN and China have become top partners in trade and investment of each other.

The regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) between ASEAN, China and other partners, which is being negotiated, will facilitate freer flows of goods, services, investments and human resources as well, creating integration-driven value chains and contributing to maintaining peace and stability for economic development in the region.

Deputy PM, FM Minh stressed on closer coordination between the bloc and China to maintain peace, stability and navigation safety in the East Sea as well as implementing fully and seriously the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and quickening the creation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On the sidelines of the 11th CAEXPO and CABIS, Deputy PM, FM Minh met with Chinese counterpart Zhang Gaoli. Mr. Minh said Viet Nam treasures its traditional friendship with China and is willing to increase comprehensive bilateral relations in a substantive manner.

He asked both sides to continue the exchange of high-ranking delegations; effectively carry out the action plan on the implementation of the Viet Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and cooperation programs between respective sectors and localities; and promptly organize the 7th meeting of the steering committee for bilateral cooperation in 2014.

Regarding the East Sea situation, Deputy PM Minh urged both countries to maintain control over the maritime situation; avoid activities that complicate the circumstances further; step up negotiation efforts; strictly implement the basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Viet Nam and China; respect international law; and work together to maintain regional and international peace and stability.

Speaking at the general debate of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh called on the international community to live up to their responsibility to strengthen international peace and security, prevent potential conflicts and find solutions to on-going hostilities.

The top Vietnamese diplomat stressed that “history has taught us that the paths leading to wars and conflicts lie in obsolete doctrines of power politics, of ambitions of domination and imposition, and of the threat of force in settling international disputes, including territorial and sovereignty disputes.”

All nations must renounce the use of force as an option in their international relations, and settle all disputes by peaceful means. This is a crucial area in which the UN represents a powerful advance from the League of Nations and it commands greater commitment and efforts of Member States.

On the sidelines of the general debate, Deputy PM, FM Minh also attended a series of meetings like UN Climate Summit, Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (IAMM), ASEAN-CELAC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, ASEAN-ECO Ministerial Meeting, and ASEAN-US Ministerial Meeting.

He also met  with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President of the UN General Assembly John W. Ashe, FMs of Finland and Tanzania, and delivered his remarks on Viet Nam's place in the world order at the Asia Society in New York on September 24.

Accelerating FTA talks with Customs Union

Viet Nam and Russia have agreed to strive for the conclusion of the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between Viet Nam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan by early next year.

The agreement was reached on September 6 (local time), in Vladivostok, Russia at the 17th meeting of the Viet Nam – Russia Intergovernmental Committee on Economic – Trade and Scientific – Technological Cooperation which was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai and his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanovic Shuvalov.

VGP