Singaporean newspapers highlight President Halimah Yacob’s state visit to Vietnam

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob review the guard of honour. (Photo: VNA)

Singapore (VNA) – Singaporean media have ran articles spotlighting the state visit to Vietnam by Singaporean President Halimah Yacob from October 16-20.

In its article published on October 17, Channel News Asia said President Halimah Yacob and her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc reaffirmed the longstanding friendship and excellent relations between the two nations. 

The newspaper cited the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), saying that Singapore and Vietnam have agreed to step up cooperation in areas such as digitalisation and cybersecurity, green economy and sustainable infrastructure.

Meanwhile, The Straits Times on the same day reported that at her meeting with President Phuc, President Halimah stressed the importance of the Singapore-Vietnam relationship as the two countries will mark the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob. (Photo: VNA)

President Halimah called Singapore and Vietnam like-minded and trusted partners who are both committed to upholding ASEAN unity, promoting an open and rules-based order and deepening regional economic integration.

Both countries have also enjoyed close cooperation in issues such as public health and sustainability through ASEAN, she said. 

The two leaders witnessed the exchange and signing of four memorandums of understanding (MoU), two of which were on energy cooperation and carbon credits collaboration; and cyber security. 

President Halimah expressed her hope that as global travel resumes, the two countries can continue to enhance education, tourism and cultural exchange. 

Singapore’s education institutions are eager to deepen their understanding of Vietnam through exchange programmes and study visits, she added. 

The Singaporean President listed sustainable development as a key promising area of cooperation between the two countries, saying that this field requires the governments and businesses of the two nations to harness their collective will and resources. 

Collaborations in renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, carbon credits and green financing will allow both Singapore and Vietnam to achieve their goals in the process of green energy transition, she said.

The two leaders witness the exchange and signing of  memorandums of understanding (MoU) (Photo: VNA) 

The Straits Times also quoted Second Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore Tan See Leng as saying that the MoU on energy cooperation will pave the way for collaboration on liquefied natural gas and electricity markets, and cover the development and financing of renewable energy as well as interconnectors for increased grid resilience and stability and cross-border electricity trading.

Meanwhile, the MoU on carbon credit cooperation focuses on developing a legally binding and bilateral framework for the transfer of carbon credit and to identify potential carbon credit projects, he said./.