According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Singapore, on the morning of February 8, The Business Times reported that Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay an official visit to Singapore when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The newspaper quoted Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency.
The minister said that even as Singapore and Vietnam strengthen cooperation in traditional areas such as trade and investment, there are still many opportunities for the two countries to work together in new growth areas such as the economy. digital economy, renewable energy, carbon credits, green finance, cybersecurity and sustainable infrastructure.
[Báo Asiatimes: Hợp tác Việt Nam-Singapore giúp thúc đẩy đoàn kết ASEAN]
Minister Vivian encouraged interested parties to explore cooperation in these areas to establish mutually beneficial partnerships that advance the interests of both countries.
He emphasized that promoting cooperation in the digital economy is a priority for both countries, including many new areas such as cybersecurity, cross-border data flows, smart cities, innovation. innovation, artificial intelligence and digital payments.
The newspaper reported in a press release on February 7, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will witness the signing ceremony of a number of bilateral agreements contributing to strengthening cooperation. many aspects between Singapore and Vietnam, especially in the digital economy and the digital economy green economy.
In the interview, Minister Balakrishnan also noted that Singapore and Vietnam need to work together more on sustainable development.
Singapore wishes to cooperate with Vietnam on renewable energy, carbon credits and sustainable infrastructure – with the “ambitious” goal of achieving net emissions zero by 2050.
Minister Balakrishnan described the two members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as “old friends and close partners”. Bilateral trade between Singapore and Vietnam has grown steadily over the past decade.
According to the latest statistics, bilateral trade in 2022 has reached S$31.3 billion (SGD), up from S$26.9 billion in 2021.
As of June 2022, Singapore is the second largest cumulative investor in Vietnam, after South Korea, with about $70 billion invested in 3,600 projects.
Singapore’s Foreign Minister described the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) as a “durable symbol” of the bilateral partnership built on close friendship and consultations between the late Prime Minister and former Prime Minister. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the late Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.
Currently, there are 12 VSIPs across the North, Central and South regions of Vietnam, attracting about 17 billion USD in investment and creating more than 300,000 jobs.
The newspaper reported that this is Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s first visit to Singapore since he took office in April 2021, following a series of high-level visits to Vietnam by President Halimah Yacob and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee. Keat, Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin of Singapore in 2022.
(VNA/Vietnam+)