PM Pham Minh Chinh and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong inspect guards of honour (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia’s Antara news agency has published an article highlighting the significance of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse’s visits to Singapore and Brunei from February 8-11 in the context that ASEAN and Vietnam in particular are promoting post-pandemic economic recovery.
The article posted on February 11 said the visits conveyed a clear message of wishing to boost economic and political ties with ASEAN in general and Singapore, Brunei in particular toward building a harmonious, prosperous and sustainable ASEAN Community.
Achievements in economic bonds between Vietnam and Singapore over the past years are an outstanding highlight in Southeast Asia. Singapore has been the biggest investor of Vietnam in ASEAN, ranking second out of 140 countries and territories investing in the country.
Apart from bilateral collaboration, Vietnam and Singapore have been working closely and actively together at regional and global organisations and forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). They expressed determination to make positive contributions to building a strong and united ASEAN Community, upholding the bloc’s central role and common voice on regional and global issues.
As members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Vietnam and Singapore effectively tapped benefits brought about by new-generation free trade deals, contributing to supporting multilateral trade system and regional economic recovery following the pandemic.
In March 2019, Vietnam and Brunei upgraded their ties to comprehensive partnership level.
The two countries agreed to build an Action Programme for their comprehensive partnership for the 2023-2027 period, continue actively realising signed agreements, extend a Memorandum of Understanding on agriculture and aquaculture, actively cope with traditional and non-traditional threats and security challenges, including fighting transnational and cyber crimes.
On multilateral forums, Vietnam and Brunei also worked closely and effectively together, especially at the ASEAN and the United Nations, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
They promised to continue working closely together, promote ASEAN's common principles and stance on its relationship with partners, as well as on Myanmar and East Sea issues, step up the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and negotiations on an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to the article./.
