Việt Nam-US’ upgraded relations open a new historical period of friendship and cooperation

US Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc E.Knapper (left) and chairman of the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations Phan Anh Sơn at the conference on Saturday morning in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam – United States comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development is an important milestone, opening a new historical period of friendship and cooperation, suitable and worthy of the stature of the bilateral relationship in the new global context.

The United States fully believe in and respect Việt Nam’s political system and territorial integrity, said US Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc E.Knapper at a conference “US-Việt Nam: 10 years of comprehensive partnership in retrospect and prospects of comprehensive strategic partnerships for peace, cooperation and sustainable development”, held on Saturday morning in Hà Nội.

The conference was co-organised by the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations and the US Embassy in Việt Nam.

He also said that the United States was proud to be Việt Nam’s partner, working together to achieve common goals and ensuring security and prosperity for the people of the two countries.

The success of the United States was also the success of Việt Nam and vice versa, he said.

According to the ambassador, the Việt Nam-US Comprehensive Partnership had developed very well over the past 10 years, marked by the 2023 event, during the visit to Việt Nam of US President Joe Biden, the two sides had upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

Speaking at the event, chairman of the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations Phan Anh Sơn said the conference was an opportunity to look back at the bilateral relations between the two countries over the past time, consisting of achievements and difficulties as well as pillars promoting the relationship between the two countries.

The pillars included the important contributions of people-to-people diplomacy that was boosted by the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations, he said.

Sơn said after nearly 30 years of normalising relations and establishing diplomatic relations as well as 10 years of establishing the comprehensive partnership, the two countries had witnessed many important advances in many fields.

In terms of politics and diplomacy, many high-level visits had been made. Each visit marked new steps forward, opening up new stages of cooperation in the two countries’ relationship.

In economics and trade, bilateral trade turnover last year reached US$123 billion, an increase of more than 270 times compared to 1995. The turnover reached over $61 billion in the first seven months of this year.

In security and national defence cooperation, the two countries continued to carry out the Security- National Defence Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level and gained many positive results in overcoming war consequences, resolving non-traditional security issues, ensuring maritime and aviation security and safety in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea).

In cultural exchanges, education and training cooperation, Việt Nam and the United States had operated more than 10 programmes. The number of Vietnamese students studying in the United States had grown dramatically, from 800 Vietnamese students in the United States in 1995 to nearly 30,000 in 2023.

In health cooperation, the United States had provided Việt Nam financial supports worth more than $1.8 billion and many cooperation activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In regional and global issues, the two countries had coordinated more and more closely at international and regional forums as well as in handling many other global issues. People-to-people diplomacy activities between the two countries had met new requirements with many improvements in content and methods of operation, contributing to creating a favourable, broad and solid foundation for the relations’ development between the two countries.

Sơn added that September 10, 2023 continued to mark an important milestone when the two countries upgraded to the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development, opening a new historical period of friendship and cooperation between Việt Nam and the US.

“Those achievements are the result of the tireless efforts of both countries in putting aside the past, overcoming differences, promoting similarities and looking towards the future,” he said.

Looking back at Việt Nam-US relations, former chairman of the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations Vũ Xuân Hồng said that in 1946, Uncle Hồ sent a letter to US President Harry S. Truman, expressing his wish for Việt Nam to be completely independent and fully cooperated with the US.

Therefore, the two countries’ upgraded relation to the comprehensive strategic partnership had fulfilled President Hồ Chí Minh’s wishes, he said. — VNS