Vietnamese PM to attend US-ASEAN summit in May

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Photo by Vietnam Government Portal

“Prime Minister Chinh will lead the Vietnamese delegation to attend the summit and pay a working visit to the U.S. and to work with the United Nations,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday at a press conference.

Hang stated that U.S. – ASEAN special summit takes place in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the relationships between the two sides.

She highlighted that after 27 years of diplomatic relations, the ties of Vietnam and the U.S. have witnessed significant progress on the basis of mutual interest and respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political system.

With this, Vietnam hopes and stands ready to work with Biden’s administration to strengthen and further deepen bilateral relations in an effective and sustainable manner for peace, stability cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Regarding Myanmar’s representative in the summit, Hang said the preparation work for the event has been undertaken in accordance with the guidelines as well as the procedures and policies of ASEAN. All sides are actively working to finish the preparation work.

Late Feb, the White House announced that President Biden would host a special summit between the U.S. and leaders of Southeast Asian leaders on March 28 and 29 in Washington. But the event was delayed.