Vietnam, India set forth joint vision for peace, prosperity and people
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Indian
counterpart Narendra Modi exchanged views on
wide-ranging bilateral, regional and global issues and set forth the Joint
Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People to guide the future development of Vietnam - India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, during a virtual
summit on December 21.
The leaders reaffirmed their wish to further advance the comprehensive
strategic partnership, and agreed to increase high-level delegation exchanges
as well as cooperation mechanisms between the two countries.
They shared the view that the enhanced defence and security ties would be an
important factor to stability in Indo-Pacific. The PMs, therefore, agreed to
promote military exchanges and step up collaboration in military industry,
using India’s defence packages for Vietnam.
The two sides will share information and cooperate in UN peacekeeping
operations, while tightening their cooperation in security through existing
dialogue mechanisms in order to cope with traditional and non-traditional
maritime security threats and cyber security.
Stressing the link between security and prosperity, the leaders reiterated the
significance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of
navigation and aviation in the East Sea, peacefully addressing disputes in line
with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea, and not using or threatening to use force.
They called for more efforts in fully and effectively realising the Declaration
on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and result-oriented
negotiations to soon complete a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in
accordance with international law, especially the UNCLOS, not affecting legal
rights and interests of all countries, including those not engaging in the
negotiations.
The leaders emphasised the importance of
ASEAN-India cooperation to maintaining peace, security and prosperity in the
region, and consented to seek new, pragmatic cooperation areas.
The two sides will also intensify multi-lateral and regional collaboration,
including in the United Nations, ASEAN-led mechanisms and Mekong Sub-regional cooperation.
The two sides will step up joint efforts in
building a strong consensus for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention
on International Terrorism (CCIT).
The two sides will work towards reliable, efficient and resilient supply
chains, and will promote human-centric globalisation. They will strive to
achieve the target of 15 billion USD of trade turnover at the earliest and will
set higher levels of ambition for bilateral trade based on a concrete plan of
action and new supply chains located in each other’s country.
Both sides will unceasingly upgrade bilateral economic ties through
facilitating long-term investment in each other’s economy, boosting joint
ventures, taking part in new global value chains, encouraging regional
e-commerce and enhancing market access capacity.
The two sides will exploit the similarity in goals: India’s digital India and
Vietnam’s digital society vision, as well as promote cooperation in the fields
of civil nuclear and space technology, transformation technologies in IT and
communications, ocean sciences, sustainable agriculture, water resources
management, comprehensive health care, vaccine and pharmaceuticals, smart urban
centres and start-up.
They will cooperate in new energy, renewable energy and technologies adaptive
to climate change.
India will continue supporting capacity enhancement for Vietnamese localities,
including the expansion of India’s Quick Impact Project (QIP) programme within
the framework of Mekong-Ganga river cooperation and other programmes of the
Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and e-ITEC in various areas.
Emphasising the long-lasting connection in culture and history between Vietnam
and India, the two sides will inherit and promote study on cultural heritage.
Cooperation in cultural heritage conservation will be considered a main pillar
in the two countries’ development partnership.
They will also make efforts to promote people-to-people exchange by increasing
direct flights, facilitating travel with the simplification of visa procedures
and tourism promotion.
The two PM expressed their belief that the joint vision will be a basis for a
new era in the Vietnam – India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. To realise
the vision, the two sides will revise action programmes for each stage,
starting from the 2021-23 period./.