Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Speaker of the RoK National Assembly Park Byeong-Seug (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has suggested liftingtwo-way trade between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) to 100 billionUSD from 68 billion USD in 2019.
During a reception for visiting Speaker of the RoK NationalAssembly Park Byeong-Seug on November 2, the PM wished that the RoK would buymore Vietnamese products, especially farm produce and consumer goods.
The Vietnamese PM welcomed the visit by the RoK leader sincethe COVID-19 outbreak and expressed his belief that the visit will be asuccess, contributing to further deepening bilateral strategic cooperativepartnership.
He affirmed that Vietnam consistently follows the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversificationof ties, integrating deeper into the world economy, and wishes to further expand its strategic cooperative partnership with the RoK.
According to him, Vietnam is a key partner in the RoK Government’sNew Southern Policy while the RoK continues to be Vietnam’s partner of topsignificance, the largest investor and the second largest trade partner and supplierof official development assistance (ODA), and the leading recipient of Vietnameseworkers.
He attributed such results to the support of the top RoK legislator, parliament committees and parliamentarians.
Park, for his part, congratulated Vietnam on achieving the dualgoal of fighting the pandemic and achieving positive economic growth.
As the two countries will celebrate the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2022, he said it is a good time toupgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
The host expressed his hope that the RoK NA Speaker and his parliament will continue encouraging Korean firms to enhance investment inVietnam.
The Vietnamese Government is ready to create favourableconditions for RoK firms to expand business operations and facilitateVietnamese enterprises’ access to technological transfer and global supplychains by Korean corporations, he said.
Regardingthe further promotion of ODA, the PM hoped that the RoK will continue tosupport the removal of binding conditions for preferential loans and expandnon-refundable aid to Vietnam.
Appreciating the effectiveness of current labour cooperation models, especiallyseasonal labour between the two countries' localities, PM Phuc asked SpeakerPark Byeong-seug and his National Assembly to actively urge the RoKGovernment to create favourable conditions for new Vietnamese workers to come tothe RoK and find solutions to facilitate the granting of visas to Vietnameseshort-term labourers so that they soon come to work in the country.
He proposed the top RoK legislator to urge the Ministry of Employmentand Labour to soon extend the Memorandum of Understanding on sending andreceiving workers.
He also hoped that the RoK National Assembly and authorities will supportVietnamese brides to integrate well into the Korean society and createconditions for Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families to stabilise theirlives here.
The two sides need to strengthen coordination on multilateral forums,especially within the framework of the United Nations, the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Mekong-RoK Cooperation, as well asinter-parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), theASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Asia-Pacific ParliamentaryForum (APPF), he said.
PM Phuc asked the RoK to support Vietnam in fulfilling its role as ASEAN Chairin 2020 and as a coordinator of ASEAN-RoK relations for 2021-2024; and continuebacking the viewpoints of Vietnam and ASEAN on the East Sea issue.
Agreeing with the host leader’s opinion, Park affirmed that the RoK considersVietnam a key partner in the New Southern Policy and one of the most importantpartners in ASEAN.
He said that the RoK side will continue to share experience, transfertechnology, and create conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to participate inglobal value chains of Korean enterprises.
The RoK National Assembly will urge the Korean Government to pay attention to helpingVietnamese agricultural products enter the local market, while promoting ODA projectsand concessional loans for Vietnam.
The legislature will propose the RoK Government soon extend the Memorandum ofUnderstanding on sending and receiving Vietnamese labourers, he said, addingthat it also pays heed to ensuring the best conditions for the Vietnamesecommunity to live safely and stably in the RoK.
Parkstated that his country agreed with Vietnam's stance and position on the East Seaissue, including ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation, and respectfor international law.
Expressing thanks to the Vietnamese Government for facilitating Koreanpersonnel to enter Vietnam amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he suggested thatVietnam soon build a fast entry process for citizens of the two countries. Healso hoped that some international routes between the two countries will besoon resumed.
He added that some Korean banks are looking forward to receiving licences to dobusiness in Vietnam so that they can support Korean businesses here./.
