President highlights new motives for Việt Nam-UK cooperation

President Tô Lâm (right) and UK Ambassador Ian Few had talks in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sáng

HÀ NỘI — The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will give new motives for trade and investment cooperation between Việt Nam and the UK, President Tô Lâm told Ambassador Iain Frew at their meeting in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Lâm noted with pleasure the effective, intensive and extensive development of the Việt Nam-UK strategic partnership, and affirmed the importance Việt Nam attaches to enhancing the bilateral relationship.

The two countries have maintained regular all-level delegation exchanges, and effectively implemented cooperation mechanisms in various fields, from politics-diplomacy to economy, and national defence-security, while closely coordinating and supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organisations, he said.

He said trade-investment cooperation, a key area of the bilateral ties, has made noted strides thanks to the UK-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement.

The President pledged that as the coordinator for the ASEAN-UK relations, Việt Nam will work to promote cooperation between the country and the region.

He suggested Việt Nam and the UK increase delegation exchanges and meetings at all levels, strengthen defence-security cooperation, and facilitate trade-investment collaboration between their enterprises.

Lam called on the UK, the coordinator for the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Việt Nam and the Group of Seven (G7), to continue its support to Việt Nam in accessing financial sources, technology transfer, and human resources development in order to materialise its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Highlighting the good cooperation between the two countries in education-training, he expressed his hope that they will continue their diverse cooperation activities in culture, tourism and sports to raise mutual understanding and contribute to promoting their friendship and collaboration in general.

For his part, Frew affirmed that the UK’s new government will continue putting the Indo-Pacific at the centre of its foreign policy, with priority given to the relations with ASEAN and the strategic partnership with Việt Nam.

The ambassador expressed his impression of Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements and role in the region and the world at large, and his belief in cooperation potential between the two countries.

The UK will continue supporting Việt Nam in sustainable development, especially in education-training, finance and energy transition, which are their priorities and the UK’s strengths, he said.

The diplomat stressed that the UK commits to and hopes for close cooperation with Việt Nam in addressing common challenges, especially climate change, and stands ready to share its experience with the Southeast Asian nation within the JETP.

He shared Vietnam’s views on settling regional and international issues in the spirit of respect for international law, basic principles of the United Nations Charter, and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

The ambassador said he hopes to receive more support and coordination from the President and ministries, agencies and localities of Việt Nam during his tenure. — VNS