New York (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son had a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on September 23, on the sidelines of the High-Level General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The two officials expressed their delight at the positive development of Vietnam – UAE relations, especially since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership and the signing of the Vietnam – UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in October 2024.
Son lauded the UAE’s remarkable development achievements, affirming that Vietnam always attaches importance to strengthening cooperation with the UAE – one of the world’s leading economic and financial hubs.
He also thanked the UAE for its thorough preparations for the visit to the UAE by Permanent Deputy PM Nguyen Hoa Binh from September 23 to 25, which aims to boost cooperation in developing the international financial centre and data centre in Vietnam, as well as in innovation and digital transformation.
The Deputy PM took the occasion to call for the UAE’s support in promoting the launch of FTA negotiations between Vietnam and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and in considering investment in developing Halal industrial zones in Vietnam.
For his part, the UAE official affirmed that Vietnam is one of the UAE’s key trade and investment partners in Southeast Asia.
Sharing Son’s views, he stressed that the two countries should continue working to achieve substantive cooperation results, particularly in economy, trade, investment, finance, science – technology, and tourism, in line with the Comprehensive Partnership and the CEPA. He also suggested bolstering cooperation in labour and training high-quality human resources to meet each side's demand.
The two sides agreed to enhance coordination and mutual support at multilateral and international forums.
The same day, Son held meetings with senior executives from American corporations Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and AES.
The Deputy PM highlighted the outcomes of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the US, especially in 2025, when the two countries mark 30 years since normalising bilateral relations and two years since upgrading the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The US is among Vietnam’s most important partners, with American businesses playing a core role in promoting the sustainable development of bilateral relations, bringing practical benefits to the people of both nations, he stated.
Son noted that economic, trade, and investment ties between the two countries have continued to grow positively and steadily. He recognised that American enterprises have not only maintained but also expanded their operations, increasing investment in various sectors, particularly high technology, semiconductor, and artificial intelligence (AI), which is in line with Vietnam’s goal of building an independent and self-reliant economy with deep integration into the world.
He emphasised that the Party and the State of Vietnam remain committed to creating the best possible conditions for both domestic and foreign businesses, including American companies, to invest and operate effectively and sustainably in Vietnam. He further clarified that both governments will continue working on reciprocal tariff matters to foster a stable business environment for enterprises from both countries.
Juan Ignacio Rubiolo, Executive Vice President of AES Corporation, updated on the progress of the group’s projects in Vietnam, including the Son My liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and the Son My II gas-fired power plant. He reaffirmed AES’s determination and hope to continue receiving support from relevant ministries and agencies to successfully implement the projects in Vietnam, contributing to the country’s development goals in the coming years.
Michael E. Williamson, President of Lockheed Martin International, praised Vietnam’s development potential and expressed his hope to enhance cooperation in the defence trade sector, consistent with the needs of both parties.
David Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer at Amazon, commended Vietnam’s rapid development in digital infrastructure and expressed interest in expanding collaboration in e-commerce, AI applications, satellite technology, and cloud computing./.
VNA
