London (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam on October 29 met with executives from several leading British corporations and international financial institutions as part of his official visit to the United Kingdom.
Meeting with Saif Malik, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank and Head of Client Coverage, the UK, General Secretary Lam commended the positive results achieved in financial and banking cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in recent years. He expressed his hope that Standard Chartered will continue to provide advice and support to help Vietnam develop into a regional financial hub.
He thanked the bank for its assistance in Vietnam’s recent stock market upgrade and called on Standard Chartered to support efforts to improve the country’s credit rating and assist with upcoming bond issuances, helping Vietnam raise capital at reasonable costs to advance national development.
Malik said he was honoured to meet the Vietnamese Party chief and praised the Party’s sound leadership in maintaining macroeconomic stability and promoting sustainable growth, thereby strengthening confidence of the business community and investors. Agreeing with General Secretary Lam’s assessment of Asia’s growing role in global finance, Malik reaffirmed Standard Chartered’s long-term commitment to investing in Vietnam and contributing to its prosperity.
In a meeting with Chris Drewer, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Accounts, Asia–Pacific, at Airbus Group, General Secretary Lam lauded the group’s successful cooperation with Vietnamese partners, which has contributed to the rapid and increasingly self-reliant development of Vietnam’s aviation and aerospace industries.
He said Vietnam is accelerating the development of its aviation sector to meet the people's rising travel demand and support the country's deeper global integration. He encouraged Airbus to expand cooperation with Vietnamese airlines to expand the Airbus supply and production chain in Vietnam; enhance training of skilled personnel; promote aircraft engine maintenance; and consider establishing an Airbus centre in Vietnam to provide passenger, cargo, and maintenance services. He also proposed that the group facilitate Vietnamese carriers' direct negotiation on aircraft purchase agreements.
Drewer affirmed Airbus’s commitment to remaining a key partner of Vietnam and expressed interest in supplying more aircraft to Vietnamese airlines while expanding collaboration to areas such as helicopters, military aircraft, science-technology cooperation, and satellites.
Later, at a meeting with Helen Wilson, Senior Vice President of Sales at Rolls-Royce, General Secretary Lam praised the group’s capabilities and experience as one of the world’s leading industrial corporations, particularly in aviation.
He proposed that Rolls-Royce continue working with Vietnam on research and development of sustainable aviation fuels, training high-quality human resources, and transferring aerospace technology to Vietnamese partners. In the near term, he encouraged the group to establish a Rolls-Royce engine maintenance and repair centre in Vietnam, affirming that the country will create favourable conditions for foreign enterprises investing and operating there.
Wilson expressed her delight over the group’s cooperation with Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet in aircraft engine supply and maintenance, which has supported the growth of Vietnam’s aviation sector, affirming Rolls-Royce’s commitment to contributing to the development of a low-emission aviation industry and expanding cooperation with Vietnam in other fields./.
