Vietnam, Thailand promote strategic partnership

The agreement was reached on November 19 during the fourth meeting of the Vietnam – Thailand Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation co-hosted by Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

They held that despite the complicated developments of COVID-19, both sides flexibly and effectively maintained exchanges and contact at all levels.

Thailand remains Vietnam’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and ranks ninth among foreign investors in Vietnam. Two-way trade between the two countries reached more than US$15 billion over the past 10 months, a year-on-year rise of 18%.

Both countries have maintained cooperation in other important fields such as defense - security, education and training, culture, tourism, finance, and banking. They have also organized many activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2021.

Pramudwinai affirmed that Thailand always attaches importance to and wishes to further promote the enhanced strategic partnership with Vietnam.

The two ministers agreed that Vietnam and Thailand will continue working closely to beef up the exchange of delegations and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, especially the joint Cabinet meeting between the two Prime Ministers at a time suitable for both sides.

They agreed that the two countries will strengthen mutual understanding through teaching Thai in Vietnam and Vietnamese in Thailand, while expanding exchanges between their friendship parliamentarians groups.

The two sides highly appreciated their mutual support and assistance in COVID-19 prevention and control, and stressed the need to strengthen public health cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including research and development of vaccines and drugs to treat COVID-19. They consented to early recognize their vaccine passports, and facilitate the travel of their citizens in the new normal.

To support post pandemic economic recovery, the two FMs underlined the need for Vietnam and Thailand to strengthen economic connectivity, ensure supply chain, and create favourable conditions for goods circulation. They maintained that both sides should restrict trade barriers to each other’s goods, striving to raise bilateral trade to US$25 billion in a more balanced direction soon.

The two sides also agreed to explore possibilities of cooperation in new areas such as digital economy, e-commerce, renewable energy, as well as integration between Thailand’s bio-circular-green economic model (BCG) and Vietnam’s 2021 – 2030 national green growth strategy to address climate change challenges and achieve long-term, sustainable, and environmentally friendly development.

The FMs were adamant that Vietnam and Thailand will continue to strengthen mutual support, closely coordinate at international and regional forums, especially at the United Nations, ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms, the Mekong Sub-region, and make the most of new-generation free trade agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, as well as settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

They voiced support for serious and complete implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and negotiations to achieve an effective, substantive and appropriate Code of Conduct in the waters (COC) in line with international law, including UNCLOS.

The two FMs signed the minutes of the meeting and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between their Foreign Ministries. They also witnessed the signing of an MoU on cultural exchanges for 2021-2026 between the two culture ministries and another MoU on cooperation between Vietnam’s Thua Thien-Hue province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.