Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse at Gimhae military airport in the RoK's Busan city

“Vietnam considers the RoK a leading important partner in all spheres, while the RoK has regarded Vietnam as a key partner in its New Southern Policy,” PM Phuc said on the occasion of his trip to the RoK to attend the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit and the first Mekong-RoK Summit whilst paying an official visit to the country.

Vietnam and the RoK set up diplomatic ties in 1992, and the two countries upgraded the relationship to the level of “comprehensive partnership in the 21st century” in 2002 before lifting to a strategic cooperative partnership in 2009.

As well as economic links, people-to-people exchanges and collaboration in national defence and security, culture, education, sports and tourism have developed robustly, PM Phuc said.

He added that the RoK has always taken the lead in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam and ranked second in provision of official development assistance (ODA) and third in trade and tourism cooperation with the country.

Vietnam is also the RoK’s fourth largest trading partner with two-way trade expected to hit 67 billion USD this year, making up 40 percent of total trade revenue between the ASEAN and the RoK.

During a State visit to Vietnam by President Moon Jae-in in March 2018, the two countries agreed to promote trade cooperation in an equal and sustainable manner, aiming to raise the bilateral trade to 100 billion USD in 2020.

“Vietnam wants to further expand and deepen its strategic cooperative partnership with the RoK in all spheres, effectively implementing cooperation and dialogue mechanisms for diplomacy, national defence and security, and economy, thus benefitting people from both sides,” he affirmed.

The leader also noted with achievements made in ASEAN-RoK relations over the past 30 years, especially since 2010 when the two sides elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership.

PM Phuc said since 2014, the two sides have realised the “joint declaration on future vision of strategic partnership: building trust, bringing happiness,” adding that they have closely coordinated on regional and global issues.

The RoK is an important partner for the ASEAN and has actively participated in forums led and established by the grouping such as the East-Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Plus Three.

Trade between the ten-member group and the RoK increased from 10.3 billion USD in 1990 to 160 billion USD last year, he said.

The leader emphasised that both the ASEAN and the RoK are striving to implement the 2016-2020 action plan with various activities and projects. The ASEAN has received active support from the East Asian country in building the ASEAN Community, especially after President Moon announced the New Southern Policy and the 3P (people, peace, prosperity) initiative.

Vietnam has selected “Cohesive and Responsive” as the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020, with a focus on enhancing intra-bloc solidarity and promoting the role and contributions of the bloc to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region; and taking the lead in coping with external challenges and settling regional and international issues.

As the ASEAN Chair, Vietnam will continue to carry forward its role and constructively contribute to ensuring peace, stability and security in the region and the world, including the Korean Peninsula, PM Phuc said.

He reiterated that the consistent stance of Vietnam and the ASEAN is supporting the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and calling for relevant sides to maintain dialogue and fully implement reached agreements towards long-term and sustainable peace on the peninsula.

“Vietnam and other ASEAN members call on the RoK to cooperate in preserving peace with respect for international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ensuring security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea,” he said./.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Mayor of Busan

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) on November 25 receives Mayor of Busan Oh Keo-don on the occasion of his trip to the Korean city to attend the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 25 met with Mayor of Busan Oh Keo-don on the occasion of his trip to the Korean city to attend the ASEAN-Republic of Korea (RoK) Commemorative Summit.

Mayor Oh Keo-don said the administration and people of Busan city want to boost ties with ASEAN nations, including Vietnam. Busan hopes to beef up cooperation and exchange with Vietnamese cities and provinces, particularly Ho Chi Minh City and wants more firms from Busan to invest in Vietnam, he said.

He unveiled that Busan will name one of its avenues ASEAN and establish an ASEAN culture centre.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc appreciated his host’s hope for stronger ties with Vietnamese localities. As the Busan-Keangnam region is home to a large number of Vietnamese people, the PM asked the mayor, the government and people of Busan to continue supporting them to blend in with the locals and contribute to the city’s socio-economic development as well as to the two countries’s friendship.

The government of Vietnam will create favourable conditions for Korean citizens to live and work in Vietnam, he said.

He urged Busan and Vietnamese localities to together organise more cultural exchange events as people-to-people exchange is the foundation for deepening the bilateral ties.

Vietnam and the RoK see great potential in economic cooperation, he said, emphasising on trade and investment. He estimated trade between the two countries at 80 billion USD this year and expected it to hit 100 billion USD in 2020. The RoK’s trade with Vietnam has always made up half of that with ASEAN for years, the leader noted.

He also asked the administration of Busan to facilitate the launch of a direct flight to Da Nang city in central Vietnam.

Later the same day, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited the Port of Busan, the RoK’s largest and the world’s second largest container port which handles 75 percent of the country’s total container cargo.

PM Phuc is in Busan, the RoK’s second largest city, for the ASEAN-Rok Commemorative Summit, which aims to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the two sides’ dialogue relations, and the first Mekong-RoK Summit during his trip to the RoK from November 24-28.
He is scheduled to take part in the ASEAN-RoK CEO Summit, the Innovation Showcase 2019, and the ASEAN-RoK Startup Expo, as well as hold meetings with Busan leaders.

After attending these events, PM Phuc will pay an official visit to the RoK. The visit is the first by a Vietnamese PM in seven years, and is of significance to strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the new situation./. VNA

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits Busan port

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is in Busan, the RoK for the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit and Mekong-RoK Summit. He visited Busan port and met Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don on November 25.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends groundbreaking ceremony of smart city in Busan

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 24 attended the ground-breaking ceremony of a smart city in Gangseo district, Busan city, the Republic of Korea.