Prime Minister’s message during US visit

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at John F. Kennedy airport (Photo: VNA)

New York, (VNA) – The Washington Times on May 30 published a message by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the occasion of his official visit to the United States of America at the invitation of President Donald Trump.

The following is the full text of the message.

“Over the past two decades, I have on several occasions come to the US on business trips and study tours, and every time I was greeted with the warm hospitality of American friends. During this official visit to the US as Prime Minister of Vietnam, myself and other members of the high-level delegation of the Government of Viet Nam are delighted to see old friends and meet new ones who share our strong desire to promote the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the US, so that we can together write a new chapter in the history of the relationship between our two peoples.

Despite ocean apart, Vietnam and the US have bridged the distance and come closer together since the establishment of diplomatic relations 22 years ago. With the courage to rise above ourselves and the spirit of “shelving the past, heading toward the future,” we have overcome many difficulties and challenges to turn from foes to friends and now comprehensive partnership built on strong foundation.

US exports into Vietnam increased five folds in the last 10 years. During this trip, businesses from both sides will sign many deals worth billions of dollars, creating tens of thousands of American jobs and boost exports from the US to Vietnam and vice versa, thus raising the livelihood of workers in both countries.

Our economies are fully complementary and with increasing trade come stronger mutual benefits. Vietnam is importing in fast increasing number Boeing airplanes, Lockheed Martin satellites to strengthen our transportation and communication systems, as well as GE’s turbines to transition to a greener and cleaner energy sector. Underwriter Laboratories newly built lab is providing certification services to ensure Vietnamese products meet global standards. Agricultural imports from the US, including 0.5 million tons of cotton and 1.5 million tons of soybean, maize and corn in 2016 alone, are helping Vietnamese textile and aqua-culture products engage deeper into the global supply chain.

In return, we are exporting to the US shrimps, tra/basa fish, tropical fruits, apparels, and footwear that are well liked by American consumers. In May 2017, Vinamilk, the Vietnamese biggest diary group, imported 2,000 high-yield dairy cows and is expected to buy another 8,000 from the US to produce high-quality milk for Vietnamese children.

More than 31,000 Vietnamese students are pursuing their higher education in the US. They will be enormous resources for development in economic, science and technology fields for Vietnam as well as the strong foundation for bilateral relations. The Fulbright University Vietnam and the Peace Corps programme will soon be launched in Vietnam to give Vietnamese students access to a world class education system and English language learning opportunities. Furthermore, they will also stand as the vivid testaments of our growing bilateral relations.

In Quang Nam, my beloved hometown, our work to preserve the natural beauty of Cua Dai beach and the heritage of Hoi An Old Town receive the wholehearted support from many American friends. We are also grateful to the experts and scholars from Harvard University (MA), Portland University (OR), University of Arizona (AZ) and many other US research and training institutions for sharing with us their experience in disaster relief, climate change response and human resource development. Wounds of the war are being healed with efforts to clean up dioxin hotspots and unexploded ordnance. This genuine and sincere assistance is the solid building blocks for mutual trust and understanding, hence the foundation for a lasting relationship between Vietnam and the US decades to come.

More than 20 years ago, many Americans only heard of Vietnam as the name of a war. But nowadays, they know of Vietnam as a sovereign nation with an independent foreign policy, a partner that deeply values its relations with the US and constantly seeks to reinforce a stable, long-term relationship with the US on the basis of mutual benefits and respect for each other’s sovereignty, political system, in the interest of peace, security, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

We wish to establish a strong working relationship with the Administration of President Trump to ensure not only the interest of the Vietnamese and American people but also the benefits of the ASEAN Community, for the sake of peace, security, stability, cooperation and prosperity of the Asia Pacific and the entire world. In November this year, Vietnam will host the APEC Summit 2017 under the theme of “Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future”. We welcome President Trump’s early acceptance of our invitation to attend this important Summit and look forward to building a substantive and effective agenda with the US and other member economies of the APEC.

With such progress made in the past 20 years, we have all the reasons to believe that the Vietnam-US relationship will continue to flourish in the next 20 years and beyond.”-VNA