Việt Nam, India to expand cooperation in trade, sci-tech, security-defence, culture exchanges: PMs

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held official talks in New Delhi on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

NEW DELHI — As part of an official State visit to India, following the solemn welcome ceremony held at the Presidential Palace, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held official talks.

PM Chính conveyed the warm greetings of President Tô Lâm and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn to PM Modi, the Indian leadership, and the people of the nation.

He sincerely thanked the Indian leaders for their condolences and for sending the National Security Advisor Ajit Dova to pay respects to the late General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, a distinguished and exemplary leader who dedicated his life to the country and the people of Việt Nam.

PM Modi, on behalf of himself and 1.4 billion Indians, expressed his deep condolences for the great loss suffered by the Vietnamese people. He affirmed that General Secretary Trọng was a close friend of the Indian people, and India highly values his significant contributions to the bilateral ties.

The two Government leaders had an extensive, sincere, and trusting exchange on bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They stressed that the Việt Nam-India relationship has deep historical roots, nurtured by generations of leaders and people from both countries, highlighting the need to cherish and preserve the traditional and strong friendship, a valuable asset between Việt Nam and India.

The two PMs expressed satisfaction with the remarkable progress since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016 during PM Modi’s visit to Việt Nam. This relationship has achieved significant accomplishments in various areas from political trust, defence and security cooperation, economic and trade cooperation and investment, to culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Bilateral trade has tripled from over US$5 billion in 2016 to $15 billion in 2023. In 2019, airlines from the two countries launched the first direct flight route, significantly boosting Indian tourism to Việt Nam by 2.5 times (from 170,000 visitors in 2019 to 400,000 in 2023), with now 56 weekly flights between major cities in the two countries.

Building on the strong foundation of 52 years of bilateral relations, the two leaders affirmed their determination to strengthen and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and India in the coming years, meeting the legitimate aspirations and interests of the peoples of both countries.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the signing of two credit loan agreements totaling US$300 million between the Ministry of Finance of Việt Nam and the Export-Import Bank of India. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

PM Chính and PM Modi agreed to consolidate traditional areas of cooperation further and expand into new potential areas with the guiding principle of “Five Mores”: more political trust; more defence and security cooperation; more substantial and effective economic, trade, and investment cooperation; more cooperation in science and technology, and innovation; and more cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Both sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges and high-level contacts, including annual meetings between the two PMs either through visits or on the sidelines of multilateral conferences. They also agreed to enhance the role of the Joint Committee co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers of both countries, in reviewing and concretising areas of cooperation and effectively implementing the Action Plan for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2024-28 period.

The two leaders highly appreciated the effective implementation of the Joint Vision Statement on India-Việt Nam Defence Partnership towards 2030 (signed in 2022). They agreed to expand cooperation in defense and security industries, enhance maritime security cooperation, foster reliable cyber security cooperation, and exchange intelligence and counter-terrorism information. India agreed to continue supporting Việt Nam in training and capacity building for its defence and security forces.

The two leaders expressed their commitment to strong measures aimed at doubling bilateral trade and investment by 2030 compared to current levels. They agreed to instruct relevant agencies to regularly exchange through existing mechanisms to remove trade barriers and promote other trade promotion measures.

PM Chính requested India to consider positively the proposals from Vietnamese businesses regarding the issuance/renewal of Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) certificates for Vietnamese imports. He also suggested signing agreements on e-commerce and bilateral trade to maximise the retail market’s potential in line with new trends.

He encouraged major Indian corporations and technology billionaires to invest in Việt Nam, creating large symbolic projects of economic cooperation, seizing the shift in supply chains and helping both countries better participate in global supply chains.

The two leaders proposed expanding cooperation in science and technology, especially in core technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and innovation, as well as cooperation in rare earth mining and processing, information technology development, and IT workforce training in each country.

They agreed to move towards establishing a Digital Partnership Forum and signing a Digital Partnership Agreement.

The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in education and training, culture, and tourism and deepen people-to-people exchanges based on shared cultural, historical and spiritual values, including Buddhism and Yoga.

Discussing regional and international issues, the two leaders agreed to continue supporting each other and cooperating closely at regional and international forums, especially the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

The two sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring a peaceful, stable, secure, safe, and free maritime and aviation environment in the South China Sea (known in Việt Nam as the East Sea); resolving disputes through peaceful means based on respect for international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. They also agreed to exchange and share information and enhance cooperation to make the East Sea a region of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation, and development.

The two PMs also announced the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Enhancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and inaugurated the Military Software Park in Nha Trang.

The two PMs also witnessed the signing of nine cooperation documents between the two countries and their respective ministries, agencies, and organisations. In addition to the “Việt Nam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Program 2024-28” and the Diplomatic Note on Việt Nam’s accession to the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the two sides signed and exchanged cooperation documents in the fields of law and justice, radio and television, finance, culture and cultural preservation, tourism, medicinal plant production, agriculture, education and training.

PM Chính expressed his gratitude to PM Modi and the Indian government for their warm and respectful reception and invited PM Modi to visit Việt Nam again in the near future. — VNS

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang