HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese State President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and visiting US Vice President Kamala Harris expressed pleasure at the blossoming bilateral ties during their talks on Wednesday in Hà Nội.
The Vietnamese Head of State said he highly valued the Việt Nam-US comprehensive partnership, which in the past 25 years has been flourishing, creating greater substance and effectiveness across all areas of bilateral, regional and global cooperation, thanks to efforts on both sides, in line with the wishes of the peoples of the two countries, and the wish the late President Hồ Chí Minh has conveyed in his letter to US President Harry Truman 75 years ago.
Phúc reiterated Việt Nam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversified relations, proactive and active international integration in both depth and scope, and that the country always strives to become a good friend, a trusted partner, and a responsible member in the international community.
He said Việt Nam considered the US one of the key partners and wished to together with the US to more substantive, fruitful, long-lasting, and sustainable bilateral ties; build and strengthen mutual trust as foundation for both sides to actively enhance exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefits, based on mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the political system of each country, for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region and in the world.
The visiting US Vice President Kamala said she was honoured to be the first incumbent US Vice President to have visited Việt Nam and thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their warm welcome in the context of the current COVID-19 outbreaks.
The US Vice President expressed continued support for a strong, prosperous and independent Việt Nam.
“Our relationship has come a long way in a quarter of a century, we have managed programmes that deal with our war legacy issues, growing economic ties, shared principles like upholding the rules-based international order and jointly addressing global challenges such as the pandemic and the climate crisis,” Harris said, adding that the Việt Nam-US partnership has produced tangible results.
The US Vice President said the US backed Việt Nam’s expanding role in ASEAN and in the region.
She expects the visit to further deepen the Việt Nam-US Comprehensive Partnership.
The two leaders agreed that Việt Nam and the US have many common points and large room for further cooperation in areas such as economics-trade-investment, security-defence, addressing war legacies, healthcare, education, science and technology.
President Phúc stressed the importance of economic and trade ties and appreciated how the countries – in a constructive spirit – have reached agreements on currency, towards more harmonious trade relations where both sides gain benefits.
The Vietnamese head of State affirmed Việt Nam welcomed the US decision to host APEC 2023 and pledged to work with the US to make sure the event will be a success.
The two leaders said Việt Nam and the US shared concerns over climate responses and the resolution to follow through with their respective Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets and implement robust measures in terms of clean and renewable energy.
The two leaders also stressed cooperation in COVID-19 responses and post-pandemic recovery.
Vice President Kamala Harris said she is grateful for Việt Nam’s donations of masks and personal protective gear in early 2020 when the US needed them.
The US Vice President also expressed appreciation for Việt Nam’s efforts in fighting the pandemic and reaffirmed the US’ support for Việt Nam in COVID-19 response.
She asked the two sides to closely work together to support each other’s enterprises, especially major corporations, ensuring their production and the supply chains could go on undisrupted in face of COVID-19 outbreaks.
President Phúc thanked the US Government and people for timely COVID-19 assistance, especially the donation of five million doses of Moderna vaccines and other medical supplies.
On the occasion, Vice President Kamala Harris also announced the US’ decision to donate another 1 million doses of Pfizer vaccines to Việt Nam, as the country is facing supply constraints.
The US Vice President also thanked Việt Nam for its efforts in locating American soldiers missing in action during the war.
President Phúc appreciated the US’ commitment for increased budget for addressing war legacies, including decontamination of Agent Orange/dioxin at Biên Hoà Airbase and other hotspots, clearing up unexploded ordnance, supporting the disabled, and supporting Việt Nam in identifying the remains of dead Vietnamese soldiers in the war through DNA technology.
The two welcomed the setting up of the US CDC Southeast Asia regional office in Hà Nội, which aims to support Việt Nam and other countries in the region with public health issues, and the signing of the lease for new campus of the US Embassy in Hà Nội and a property lease for a new Vietnamese embassy in Washington DC.
President Phúc lauded the US’ efforts to strengthen cooperation with the region, its support for intra-regional solidarity and ASEAN’s centrality, and suggested that the US bolster cooperation with ASEAN as well as promote the ASEAN-US strategic partnership, the US-Mekong Partnership, and the Friends of the Lower Mekong forum.
The two sides agreed to boost cooperation within the frameworks of the United Nations as well as other multilateral forums, contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability, security and development in the region and the world, pledged commitments to ensure security, freedom of navigation and overflight, and uphold the idea that all disputes in the South China Sea (known in Việt Nam as the East Sea) should be resolved in a peaceful manner on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as soon complete the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.
On the occasion, President Phúc extended greetings from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng to US President Joe Biden, saying that the President and the General Secretary invite Joe Biden to visit Việt Nam in the future. — VNS
