PM Chinh elated with growing Vietnam-Canada relations
VOV.VN - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has expressed his delight at Vietnam-Canada ties which have been growing steadily as seen in last year’s bilateral trade reaching US$6 billion, a rise of 18.5% on-year, and in the partnership in the COVID-19 fight and climate change response.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception for Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly in Hanoi on April 13, during which Chinh highly appreciated Joly’s selection of Vietnam as one of the first two Asian nation to pay an official visit to as Foreign Minister of Canada and suggested his guest help step up bilateral cooperation in a multitude of fields.
Chinh thanked the Canadian Government for providing Vietnam with US$1.3 billion in official development assistance (ODA) since 1990.
He asked the Canadian diplomat to help tighten both nations’ connections, especially in economy - trade - investment, security - defence, development support, COVID-19 and climate change response, protection of the marine environment, clean and renewable energy, digital economy, innovation, green growth, green and sustainable agriculture, and training of high-quality human resources.
The Government chief called on the North American nation to continue creating the best possible conditions for more Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural and aquatic products to enter its market.
He thanked and asked Canada to keep working closely to help about 240,000 Vietnamese people in the country to make greater contributions to Canada’s development as well as bilateral ties.
In response, the Canadian FM said her visit aims to carry out her nation’s new Indo-Pacific strategy, in which Canada desires to further solidify relations with some countries in the region, with Vietnam being a top priority.
She also hailed Vietnam’s commitment made at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), affirming that Canada will boost ties with the Southeast Asian nation in responding to climate change and realising the commitments at COP26.
Canada aspires to diversify and expand trade links with Vietnam and bolster cooperation within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), she said, while asking Vietnam to assist her country to foster the strategic partnership with ASEAN.
PM Chinh was appreciative of Canada’s willingness to cooperate with Vietnam in ensuring food security and pledged continued assistance for the Vietnamese community in Canada.
With regard to the East Sea issue, both sides underlined the importance of peacefully settling disputes on the basis of international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, working towards a substantive, effective, and efficient code of conduct in the waters, and ensuring freedom, safety, and security of navigation and overflight in the East Sea with all countries’ interests taken into consideration.
Concerning the Ukraine issue that the Canadian Foreign Minister touched upon, PM Chinh affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance of peacefully settling international disputes on the basis of respecting international law and the UN Charter, especially the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of countries.
Vietnam always keeps a close watch on and is greatly concerned about the armed conflict in Ukraine. The nation calls for an end to the use of force and avoidance of causing casualties or losses to civilians, Chinh told his guest.
Vietnam hopes that the relevant sides will soon find out peaceful solutions to disagreements on the basis of international law, with the right and legal and legitimate interests of the parties concerned taken into account; security, safety, and essential needs of civilians guaranteed; and humanitarian aid promoted, he affirmed.
