Vietnam and Thailand to issue joint statement, ink cooperation documents
VOV.VN - Vietnam and Thailand are expected to issue a joint statement and sign a number of cooperation documents across various fields during the ongoing visit to Thailand made by State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh.
President Phuc is currently paying an official visit to Thailand where he is also attending the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting from November 16 to 19 at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Thanh told a Bangkok-based VOV correspondent that the visit demonstrates the strong Vietnamese commitments to elevate the strategic partnership with Thailand to new heights.
During the trip, the President is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to the King and Queen of Thailand, and meet with several senior Thai leaders, including National Assembly chief Chuan Leekpai and leaders of both houses of the legislature.
He will hold talks alongside Thai PM Chan-o-cha, and witness the signing of a number of cooperation documents, including an action plan for implementation of the Vietnam-Thailand Enhanced Strategic Partnership for the 2022 - 2027 period.
The State leader will also attend a meeting with businesses of the two countries, an opening ceremony of the Vietnam Product Week in Thailand, along with other activities.
Most notably, the two sides are anticipated to issue a joint statement that aims to outline new measures to strengthen political trust and deepen co-operation across various fields between the two countries amid the new context. They will also affirm their strong resolve to further coordinate positions on a number of regional and international issues of common concern, including promoting the central role of ASEAN.
Shortly after the visit, President Phuc is due to attend the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, with numerous meetings and activities on his schedule.
It is worth remembering that during the APEC Year 2022 Vietnam has actively engaged in all meetings of the bloc covering numerous fields, from trade, forestry, and food security, to tourism, health care, small-and medium-sized enterprise development, and finance. It has put forward initiatives and played an active role in the implementation of the Aotearoa Plan of Action toward the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040.
“We hope this trip will give fresh impetus to and truly mark a historic milestone in Vietnam-Thailand relations as well as Vietnam’s engagement in the APEC forum,” said Ambassador Thanh.
According to the diplomat, economic ties represent a bright spot in the Vietnam – Thailand relations. Thailand currently ranks eighth among 140 foreign investors in Vietnam with nearly 700 projects capitalised at more than US$13 billion.
Moreover, Thailand is also the largest trading partner for Vietnam within ASEAN. Indeed, two-way trade turnover hit US$19 billion last year and US$10.6 billion in the first half of this year alone. The two countries have set their sights on achieving a target of raising their trade to US$25 billion by 2025.
However, the diplomat pointed out that Vietnamese investment in Thailand remains modest, that does not match the capabilities of Vietnamese businesses or Thailand’s development needs.
As part of efforts to resolve the problem, Ambassador Thanh said during the visit the two countries are anticipated to agree on three connections in terms of supply chain, business production, and development policy.
They will bring into full play the important role of the Thailand Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ThaiCham), as well as swiftly establishing the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (VietCham) in order to remove bottlenecks and facilitate stronger business production in each other’s markets.
