US is Vietnam’s key partner, reaffirms PM Chinh
VOV.VN - Vietnam desires to work closely alongside the United States to further deepen the comprehensive partnership that is developing effectively and substantively between the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the statement while receiving newly accredited US Ambassador Marc Knapper in Hanoi on March 30.
He reaffirmed that the US is one of Vietnam’s most important partners, noting two-way trade surpassed the US$100 billion mark last year hitting a record high of US$111 billion.
He thanked the US for rolling out tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses and delivering other medical supplies to help Vietnam combat COVID-19.
The PM hailed bilateral cooperation in addressing war aftermath as a bright spot in the Vietnam-US relationship, contributing to enhancing trust-building between the two peoples. At the same time, he said responding to climate change has become a strategic cooperation field between the two countries.
In addition, he said cooperation in other areas such as education and training, national security and defense also serves as important prerequisites to promote the two countries’ relations.
For his part, Ambassador Knapper vowed to work hard to ramp up bilateral cooperation in trade & investment, climate change adaptation, infrastructure construction, green and sustainable development, human resource training, and digital transformation among others.
The United States will do all it can to support Vietnam, he said, expecting Vietnam’s rapid recovery and sustainable development programme will be a great success, contributing to elevating post-pandemic economic recovery and development in the region.
Knapper also reaffirmed the desire of the United States to strengthen cooperation with countries in Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region as reflected in new strategies and initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Strategy.
The two sides exchanged views on ASEAN’s positions on ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, known as the East Sea in Vietnam, while peacefully settling sea related disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).