State leader meets with US President in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) - President Vo Van Thuong hosted a reception in Hanoi on September 11 for US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. who paid a state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Welcoming Biden and the US high-ranking delegation's visit, Thuong held that the visit, along with Party General Secretary Trong and President Biden's announcement of the elevation of the Vietnam-US relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reflect the stature of the relationship, meeting the interests of the two peoples, and positively contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The Vietnamese State leader thanked the US President for, in different important positions, always giving good sentiments to Vietnam.

Thuong reaffirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to and hopes to promote relations with the US in a deep, wide, effective, stable and sustainable manner on the foundation of agreed principles, including respect for international law, the UN Charter, and each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institution.

Biden reaffirmed that the US treasures ties with Vietnam, and supports a strong, independent, self-reliant, prosperous Vietnam with continuous reform and expanded international integration, performing an increasingly important role in ASEAN and the region.

In order to continue to further deepen bilateral relations within the newly-established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Thuong suggested that the two sides continue to strengthen bilateral political-diplomatic relations, especially through meetings of senior leaders.

He thanked Biden for inviting him to the APEC Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco this November, and accepted the invitation.

Regarding economic, trade and investment cooperation, Thuong welcomed the US's support to Vietnam in enhancing sustainable production capacity in the fields of semiconductors, artificial intelligence and supporting industries, while asking for the US's continuous support to Vietnam in engaging more deeply in global production and supply chains, investment in high technology projects, and strengthened trade of goods and services with Vietnam, thus helping Vietnam achieve the goal to become a developed country with high-income in 2045.

He spoke highly of bilateral partnership in education-training, science-technology, climate change response, and energy transition, showing his hope that Fulbright University Vietnam will become a high quality training centre serving the development of not only Vietnam but the whole region.

The Vietnamese leader underlined that cooperation in settling war consequences is an humanitarian activity and one of the important collaboration contents contributing to healing and promoting bilateral relations. He said he hopes the two sides will strongly bolster partnership in this field.

Regarding the Vietnamese community in the US, President Thuong affirmed this is an inseparable part of the Vietnamese national solidarity bloc and a community that plays an increasing role in the host country. He asked the US side to continue creating favourable conditions for the community to develop and make more contributions to the development of the two countries as well as the growth of the Vietnam-US ties.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese State leader on directions and commitments to the bilateral relationship in the future, Biden said that efforts to promote the Vietnam-US ties have always received valuable companionship and support from long-time friends such as the late Senator John McCain, former Senator John Kerry, as well as the majority of the American people.

He said he believes that the Vietnam-US relations will continue to enjoy more successes following the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

On regional and international issues, the two leaders agreed on the need for maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, guaranteeing navigation and aviation freedom, security and safety, peacefully settling disputes on the basis of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), not using or threatening to use force, supporting efforts to build an effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

On the occasion, Thuong presented Biden with a special book entitled "Ho Chi Minh - Letters to America" published by the Vietnamese Writers' Association Publishing House.

The book introduces President Ho Chi Minh's letters to Americans from students, women, ordinary people, journalists to officers, senators, Secretaries of State and Presidents. The first letter was written in 1919 under the name of young patriot Nguyen Ai Quoc and the last was in 1969 and signed by Ho Chi Minh, President of an independent country. The letters written in a half a century (1919 - 1969) portrait a great man named Ho Chi Minh and a righteous path associated with Vietnam's glorious revolutionary history.

Biden received the special and meaningful gift with respect, saying that he will carefully read all the letters to better understand the historical period of relations between the two countries.

Following the meeting, President Thuong hosted a State-level banquet for President Biden and the US delegation./.