UK aspires to effectively promote strategic partnership with Vietnam

UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab made the statement during his talks in Hanoi on September 30 with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Minh welcomed Raab’s official visit to Vietnam on September 29-30, which takes place at a special time when both nations are celebrating 10 years of their strategic partnership, while expressing his confidence that the visit will create new momentum for stronger bilateral relations moving forward.

Vietnam always regards the UK as a leading important partner and greatly values the latter’s role on the international arena, Minh told his guest.

Raab, in turn, showed his elation at his first visit to Vietnam and that he is the first European politician to come to the Southeast Asian nation since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

During the talks, the two sides consented to coordinate joint efforts towards a higher level of the bilateral strategic partnership.

They noted with satisfaction that since the Vietnam-UK diplomatic ties were set up in 1973, especially since the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2010, the bilateral cooperation has been grown steadily..

The two diplomats affirmed determination to build a new vision for the Vietnam-UK ties for the next 10 years and make joint efforts to take the strategic partnership to a higher level.

They concurred to work out plans to resume all-level delegation exchanges when possible and increase substantive content in cooperation mechanisms, especially the security-defence strategic dialogue, the joint committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation, and the defence dialogue.

Host and guest shared the view that their countries’ economic links have grown impressively, with bilateral trade reaching US$6.6 billion in 2019 and the UK’s direct investment in Vietnam standing at US$3.7 billion.

They also agreed to facilitate partnerships between Vietnamese and UK businesses and investors, particularly in the areas the UK has strengths and Vietnam has demand for like high technology, telecommunications, oil and gas, finance, banking, insurance, renewable energy development, and smart city building so as to help with post-pandemic growth recovery and make use of the shift of supply chains and investment.

Minh acknowledged the UK Government’s active support for the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement  (EVFTA). 

Meanwhile, Raab thanked Vietnam for agreeing to apply this deal to the UK in the Brexit transition period, reiterating the country’s commitment to soon finalising the negotiation on an FTA between the two countries so that it can take effect early.

The official also examined ways to intensify connections in important realms such as security-defence, development cooperation, education-training, science-technology, sustainable development, people-to-people exchange, as well as cooperation between the two foreign ministries so as to help propel the strategic partnership forward.

They hailed Vietnam-UK cooperation at multilateral forums, especially when Vietnam concurrently serves as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

The two countries will boost coordination to boost the UK’s ties with ASEAN and to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) that the European nation will host next year. 

Minh and Raab also compared notes on international and regional issues of shared concern.

They laid stress on their support for multilateralism, a rules-based regional and international order, and international coordination to cope with common challenges like maritime security, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both sides underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, settling disputes via peaceful measures without using or threatening to use force, and respecting international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They voiced their support for the Chairman’s Statement of the 36th ASEAN Summit and the joint communiqué of the 53th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which affirm that the 1982 UNCLOS is the legal framework regulating all activities in the seas and oceans.

Concluding the talks, the two sides issued a “Joint Declaration on the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership: Forging Ahead for Another 10 years”.

Later in the day, representing Vietnam as ASEAN Chair in 2020, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired an expanded troika meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers and their UK counterpart.

The Vietnamese official hailed the UK’s active role in promoting dialogue and cooperation in the region, suggesting the two sides work together on developing and producing COVID-19 vaccines, improving healthcare capacity, ensuring supply chains, maintaining trade and investment connectivity, and encouraging UK businesses to operate in ASEAN.

Meanwhile, Raab affirmed his nation’s support for ASEAN’s central role and applauded the bloc’s achievements in the community building.

He also announced the UK’s aid package worth 50 million GBP for ASEAN’s response to COVID-19.

The UK also proposed stronger cooperation in maritime security, the law of the sea, and climate change response.