Thailand welcomes President Nguyen Xuan Phuc with 21-gun salute

Phuc, who is accompanied by his wife, is visiting at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, and it is his first visit to Thailand as president.

The visit is an opportunity for the two countries to exchange views to strengthen trade and investment cooperation, economic connectivity and cooperation in new fields such as digital economy, digital transformation and green economy, among others, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc said.

The enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries has been on an upward trajectory despite the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Thailand is Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia and ninth largest investor in Vietnam.

Their trade toped US$18.8 billion last year, up 18% from the same period in 2020.

This year first half Vietnam received 40,000 Thai tourists and sent around 130,000 visitors to that country.

Eighteen provinces and cities in Vietnam have cooperation agreements with Thai localities.

At the APEC summit from Nov. 16 to 19, Phuc will participate in a meeting to discuss solutions to global economic difficulties and accelerating recovery and deliver a speech at the APEC CEO Summit, where business executives in the Asia-Pacific will engage in discussions with leaders.

The theme for this year’s APEC meetings is “Open. Connect. Balance.”

The 2019 summit in Chile had been canceled due to protests in that country and the last two editions were held virtually due to the pandemic.

According to its official website, to revive growth, APEC will focus on restoring connectivity by resuming safe and seamless cross-border travel, reinvigorating tourism and the services sector, facilitating business mobility, and increasing investment in health security.