At the reception (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The VietnameseParty, State, Government and people highly value the stable, sustainable andlong-term development of strategic partnership with Malaysia, Prime MinisterPham Minh Chinh told Malaysian Minister of Defence Dato’Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan during a reception in Hanoi on December4.
PM Chinh believed that Malaysia willsuccessfully implement its New Industrial Master Plan 2030, elevating thecountry to a high-income nation with an increasing position on theinternational arena.
He described Malaysia as Vietnam's second largest investor inASEAN, ranking 10th out of 140 countries and territories investingin the country, with a total capital of 13 billion USD. Vietnam now has 21investment projects in Malaysia with a total registered capital of over 850million USD. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, two-way trade hit nearly 15 billion USDlast year, up 17% annually.
The PM expressed his wish to further deepen bilateralstrategic partnership in all areas, including the exchange ofall-level delegations, investment, trade, culture, education-training, tourism, andpeople-to-people exchange. He suggested Malaysia assist Vietnam in havingyellow card warning lifted, developing the Halal industry, and opening the doorfor Vietnamese Halal products.
Informing his guest about Vietnam's foreign policy and the"four nos" defence policy, he affirmed that the Vietnamese Governmentalways creates the most favourable conditions for the development of cooperationbetween the two defence ministries.
The Malaysian Minister of Defence affirmedthat Vietnam is an important partner of Malaysia in the region and the onlycountry in ASEAN with which Malaysia has established a strategic partnership.
Briefing the host about theoutcomes of his talks with the Vietnamese Defence Minister, he said in the nearfuture, bothsides will increase the exchange of delegations, soon establish mechanisms forconsultation and dialogue, strengthen coordination among military forces, stepup collaboration in areas where both sides have strengths and needs such astraining, defence industry, logistics, medical services and disaster reliefwhile offering active consultation and mutual support at global and regionalsecurity forums.
In reply, PM Chinh suggested the two defence ministries continueworking closely together, for the sake of peace, cooperation and development ofeach country, the region and the world.
Both sides need to continue realising the signedcooperation documents fully and effectively, enhance collaboration in areas oftheir strength and potential, support the law enforcement agencies at sea tostrengthen information exchange and crime prevention, cooperate in training andassist each other's fishing vessels and fishermen in distress at sea, exploreand expand potential cooperation areas such as defence industry, logistics, andmilitary medicine, Chinh said.
He wished that, as two active and influentialmembers of ASEAN, Malaysia and Vietnam would continue to support and proposepractical initiatives and actions to uphold the internal solidarity and centralrole of ASEAN in the regional security architecture.
He called for the effective implementation ofthe Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), toward earlyconclusion of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), guaranteeing the security, safety, freedom of overflight and navigation, thesettlement of disputes by peaceful means in line with international law,including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and theinterests of the parties, contributing to creating an environment of peace, stability,cooperation and development in the East Sea./.
