Singapore (VNA) – Politburo Member and Standing Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu met with Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on August 25 as part of his official visit to Singapore and co-chairing of the first Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Dialogue.
Against the backdrop of strong development in bilateral ties following their upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Shanmugaratnam expressed his belief that Tu’s visit, together with the success of the dialogue, would further consolidate political trust, enhance mutual understanding between the two countries’ leaders and provide fresh impetus for relations to develop more deeply, substantively and effectively in the new period.
Tu affirmed that Vietnam consistently attaches importance to its relations with Singapore, one of its top partners in the region. The establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2013 and its upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025 were important milestones, reflecting the maturity of bilateral ties and the shared vision of the two countries’ leaders for long-term cooperation.
The two sides noted with satisfaction that economic, trade and investment cooperation continues to be a prominent bright spot and one of the solid pillars of Vietnam-Singapore relations, with investment cooperation focusing on key areas such as processing and manufacturing, logistics, finance and high technology.
They agreed on the need to further promote and upgrade effective cooperation models in line with requirements for green, smart and sustainable development in the new period.
The key Vietnamese leader stressed that an important task at present is to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework and translate the high level of political trust and agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders into concrete cooperation programmes, projects and outcomes.
Vietnam and Singapore should maintain regular high-level exchanges and contacts, strengthen links among ministries, sectors, localities and business communities, and better harness the complementary strengths of their two economies, thereby improving the quality and sustainability of economic, trade and investment cooperation.
As Vietnam and Singapore both attach importance to science and technology, innovation and human resource development in their respective development strategies, Tu suggested that they make breakthroughs in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, the digital economy, semiconductor technology, data centres, the green economy, clean energy, green finance and high-quality human resources training.
He stressed that cooperation in the new period should gradually shift towards areas with higher technological, knowledge and added-value content, not merely tapping existing advantages but also jointly creating new growth drivers, making practical contributions to each country’s goal of rapid and sustainable development.
Shanmugaratnam spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and its increasingly elevated international standing, and expressed admiration for Vietnam’s talented and ambitious younger generation. He affirmed that Singapore attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam and wishes to work with Vietnam to effectively harness opportunities brought about by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.
The President agreed that the two countries have favourable conditions to capitalise on their complementary strengths, particularly in emerging economic sectors, technology, innovation and human resources development. The two sides should strengthen sci-tech connectivity and promote a new cooperation model involving the three key stakeholders in both countries, working together on joint research, co-development and co-production, while jointly attracting investment in new-generation industries and high technologies.
The two sides also exchanged views on rapid and complex developments in the regional and global situation. They agreed that amid an increasingly unpredictable international environment, Vietnam and Singapore should further enhance exchanges and coordination and jointly contribute to maintaining a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment conducive to development.
Both sides affirmed that they would continue to coordinate closely within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and at multilateral forums, working with other member states to strengthen ASEAN unity and solidarity, enhance its resilience and centrality, promote multilateralism, cooperation, and regional integration, and contribute to building a peaceful, stable and prosperous ASEAN.
Tu expressed his belief that on the basis of the solid relationship built over more than half a century, high political trust, increasingly close alignment of interests and the determination of the two countries’ leaders, the Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would continue to develop strongly, substantively and sustainably, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries while making positive contributions to peace, stability and development in ASEAN and the region./.
VNA
