Vietnam keen on making ties with US thrive

From former enemies, Vietnam and the US has formed cooperation relationship since 1995 and became comprehensive partnership since 2013 in the spirit of putting aside the past, overcoming differences, promoting similarities and heading to the future, he told reporters.

On the basis of external policies of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, Vietnam wishes to further promote achievements obtained in bilateral ties with the US over the past eight years, while standing ready to cooperate with the new administration to promote the relationship based on the foundation of respecting each other’s political institution, growth path, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and not interfering into each other’s internal affairs.

The spirit was also shown in the congratulatory message of Vietnamese leaders to President-elect Donald Trump and the telephone talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the new US President in December last year.

Ngoc also stressed the need for Vietnam to become more active in expanding partnership in nine major pillars, including politics-diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, science-technology, education-training, defence-security, war aftermath overcoming, and culture, tourism.

He said that over the past years, the two sides have built a firm foundation of win-win cooperation with specific collaboration mechanisms in bilateral, regional and international aspects.

He expressed his belief that the ties will continue to thrive to match the two countries’ potential thanks to political determination of both sides.

Vietnam will continue implementing existing cooperation mechanisms, delegation exchanges, while considering economic, trade and investment cooperation as a focus and motivation for the bilateral partnership, stated Ngoc.

He added that Vietnam should work harder to improve investment environment to attract more investors from the US, and increase two-way trade.

The Vietnamese and US economies are supplementary with high growth potential, he said, adding that cooperation in dealing with war aftermath should be one of priorities in bilateral cooperation.

In the regional and international aspects, he said Vietnam and the US should maintain partnership in anti-terrorism, and fighting the popularisation of mass destruction weapon, as well as climate change, energy, food, water security, thus contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Vietnam and partners, including the US, share a common desire of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region in line with international law, as well as the maintenance of multipolar trend and democracy in the region and the central role of ASEAN in regional institutions, and keeping a strong and united ASEAN with balance relations with world powers and external partners, he affirmed.