HANOI, April 16 (Bernama-VNA): After 10 years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership and almost 28 years since the normalisation of diplomatic ties, Vietnam and the United States (US) have built relations of dynamic and effective development, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He stressed the two countries are cooperating for common interests, and that the US believes by supporting Vietnam’s wishes, it can promote its own goals, from creating jobs for people and enhancing the strength of US enterprises to making more strides to resolve the climate crisis and prevent pandemics.
Blinken, who has been on a two-day official visit to Vietnam since Saturday, said he was in Vietnam at the behest of US President Joe Biden to broaden further and deepen that partnership, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) quoted him as saying to the press on Saturday.
Throughout his engagements in the capital on Saturday, he focused on how the US can continue to support Vietnam’s success -- which is good for the Vietnamese people, Americans, and the entire region.
The two sides also discussed mutual respect for the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the close partnership via regional economic frameworks, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) that the US hosts this year and the Mekong-US partnership.
Blinken noted that the US highly valued Vietnam’s indispensable role in settlement of development challenges in the Mekong River region, and the US is developing a bilateral economic partnership to help Vietnam boost important reforms in the fields of labour, intellectual property, and trade fairness, thus turning the Southeast Asian country into one of the fast-growing economies in the world.
The US believes that Vietnam can achieve its goal of becoming a connected and high-income country by 2045 by pursuing growth that lifts all communities while building resilience to adapt to climate change, Blinken added.
He reaffirmed the US’s respect for Vietnam’s political institutions, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as support for a strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous Vietnam.
The diplomat also underscored the US’s commitment to address war consequences, including joint works to clear unexploded ordnance and the new US$73 million contract to treat contaminated soil and sediment at Bien Hoa Air Base.
Blinken highlighted that the two countries have made another step forward to strengthen relations by breaking ground for the new US embassy campus, which once completed, will match the vision for the future of the bilateral partnership.
The official expressed his belief that the Vietnam-US ties will develop more strongly in the coming decades. - Bernama-VNA
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
