Experts suggest ways to enhance Vietnam-Singapore partnership

Singapore (VNA) – Singaporean and Vietnamese experts have highlighted achievements of the Vietnam-Singapore relations so far and recommended sectors they should prioritise for cooperation in the time to come, on the occasion of the ongoing State visit to Vietnam by Singaporean President Halimah Yacob from October 16-20.

Interviewed by Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Singapore, Associate Professor Simon Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), said that the two countries have really become very good friends and partners. The Vietnam-Singapore industrial parks are the clearest proof of this relationship, he added.

He noted the two sides now need not only industrial parks but also knowledge, employment, and training zones, which he said would be an important step in their development path.

The Singaporean President's visit to Vietnam will spotlight efforts to enhance the bilateral relationship, he said. The expert held that as Vietnam develops, Singapore will continue to be a suitable and useful partner.

In a similar interview, Associate Professor Vu Minh Khuong at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, considered the visit a strategic step in strengthening future cooperation between the two countries.

In the context that the world and the region are witnessing very strong fluctuations and gradually escaping from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many issues on which Vietnam and Singapore need to consult, build strategic trust and deepen their collaboration, he advised.

Khuong affirmed after five decades of diplomatic relations, including 10 years of strategic partnership, Vietnam and Singapore have achieved strategic trust.

He highlighted the achievements of the Vietnam-Singapore cooperation over the past nearly five decades. Notably, Singapore is among the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam with a total investment of nearly 70 billion USD, he said, projecting such investment to be expanded in the coming time. Singapore will also benefit from Vietnam’s progress, the expert noted.

According to Khuong, there are five issues Vietnam should prioritise in its cooperation with Singapore, including digital economy and digital transformation; a transition to clean energy; urban management and development, the governance of corporations, particularly State-owned ones; and the establishment of a strategic cooperation committee between the sides for regular consultations.

President Halimah Yacob’s visit to Vietnam from October 16-20 is the first State visit by a foreign head of State to Vietnam since the 13th National Party Congress, and also the first trip overseas by the President of Singapore since the COVID-19 broke out.

The visit takes place when the two countries are looking toward the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship and the 10th year of their strategic partnership in 2023./.