London (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse, together with the Vietnamese high-level delegation, departed from London Stansted Airport on October 30 (local time), concluding their three-day official visit to the UK at the invitation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
During the visit, the General Secretary held talks with PM Starmer; met with leaders of the Communist Party of Britain, the Speaker of the House of Lords, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vietnam (Vietnam APPG), the Speaker of the House of Commons, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair; and visited the tomb of proletarian leader Karl Marx.
He also participated in discussions with British and international technology experts on artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors; attended the Vietnam–UK Business Roundtable Meeting; joined the Vietnam–UK High-level Economic Conference; met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in the UK; delivered a policy speech at Oxford University; and witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.
During the visit, the two leaders agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Accordingly, the two sides will enhance cooperation across six key pillars: strengthening collaboration in politics, diplomacy, defence and security; deepening ties in economy, trade, investment and finance; boosting cooperation in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and healthcare; working together on environment, energy and green transition; expanding partnerships in education, culture, sports, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, gender equality and other areas; and stepping up coordination on regional and international issues.
In their joint declaration, the two sides also agreed to intensify exchanges and cooperation between parliament agencies and specialised committees, and parliamentary groups; to share experience in legislative oversight and parliamentary work; to enhance monitoring and coordination in implementing bilateral agreements; and to strengthen consultations, exchange of views and coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums in which both sides participate.
The two countries consented to boost collaboration in developing financial hubs, including Vietnam’s International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, under the framework of the Vietnam–UK international financial centre partnership.
Vietnam and the UK agreed to deepen cooperation in mobilising green finance to promote low-emission, sustainable growth; share expertise and implement green financial tools in Vietnam. Both sides also pledged to effectively implement the 2025 Memorandum of Understanding on science, technology, and innovation cooperation.
The two countries concurred to establish the Vietnam–UK clean energy partnership between Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant British agencies to accelerate the transition toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy in both nations.
The UK reaffirmed its continued support for Vietnam in promoting English language teaching and training, aiming to make English the second language in Vietnamese schools by 2035, and enhancing human resources development through cooperation between Vietnamese educational institutions and UK organisations
Both sides committed to maintaining and promoting peace, stability, security, and prosperity globally, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, and shared a vision for a just international order based on international law, respecting independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity./.
