President Tran Dai Quang and his spouse will pay a State visit to India from March 2-4 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran DaiQuang and his spouse will pay a State visit to India from March 2-4 at theinvitation of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.
The visit takes place at a time when theVietnam – India traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation have beendeveloping extensively, affirming that Vietnam consistently pursues an externalpolicy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversificationof international ties, including attaching importance to the friendship withIndia.
The two sides established a strategicpartnership in 2007 and lifted it to a comprehensive strategic partnership in2016.
On political ties, they conducted the exchangeof high-level delegations and cooperation mechanisms such as the Vietnam –India Inter-Governmental Committee on Scientific-Technological andCultural-Education Cooperation, political consultations and strategic dialoguesbetween the two foreign ministries.
Bilateral national defence-security linkskeep improving with the upgrade of national defence dialogue from deputyministerial into ministerial level in June 2016 and the establishment of a nationaldefence dialogue mechanism in 2003. Extended defence ties were seen in naval, groundand air forces with a focus on training, defence industry and vessel visits.
Economic and trade ties are considered oneof the pillars in bilateral relations by the two governments. India is amongVietnam’s top 10 trade partners of Vietnam while Vietnam is a top priority inIndia’s Look East policy.
Two-way trade was estimated at 7.5 billionUSD in 2017, up 37.7 percent annually. As of late November 2017, Indiaregistered capital of 756 million USD in Vietnam, ranking 28th outof 126 countries and territories investing in the country. Vietnam currentlyinvests in seven projects worth 6.15 million USD in India.
India is assisting Vietnam in personneltraining in many fields via providing scholarships and establishing trainingcentres in Hanoi, the central city of Da Nang and Nha Trang city in Khanh Hoaprovince.
The two nations signed a cultural exchange programmefor 2015-2017 and held exchanges, fairs and exhibitions to popularise cultureand tourism. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on establishingNalanda University to pave the way for further Buddhism cooperation, whileIndia opened the India Cultural Centre in Hanoi to popularise Bollywood movies,yoga and Buddhism.
India transferred technologies to Vietnamand boosted technical coordination in the fields of remote sensing, nano, bioand information technology, oceanography and climate change.
Vietnam and India have offered mutualsupport in multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations. Ascoordinator in the India-ASEAN partnership for 2015-2018, Vietnam supportsIndia’s “Act East” policy, and its initiatives to boost regional connectivity,especially Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam and Mekong Ganga Cooperation.-VNA
VNA
