The Prime Minister's response when asked if he would be willing to play golf with US President Trump.

An interesting question about US President Trump was posed to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh while he was in Davos (Switzerland). In response, he affirmed that he was ready to do anything that would benefit the nation and its people.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared his views at the special dialogue session at WEF Davos 2025 - Photo: DOAN BAC

On the afternoon of January 21st (Swiss time, early morning of January 22nd Vietnam time), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a special dialogue session dedicated to Vietnam within the framework of the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos Annual Meeting.

If it benefits the nation and the country, then do it.

According to the Government's online portal, during the dialogue session, the Prime Minister received many questions from Ms. Gillian Tett, editor-in-chief of the Financial Times .

Responding to a question about whether Vietnam can balance its relations with both the US and China amidst strategic competition, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam is steadfast in its independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy, and is a good friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community, working towards the goals of peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

Regarding concerns related to Vietnam's trade surplus with the US, the Prime Minister stated that Vietnam is always ready to listen, exchange views, and resolve issues of concern to its partners.

The head of government stated that Vietnam wishes to leverage its competitive advantages, increase imports, and cooperate in areas where the US has strengths and Vietnam has needs, such as aviation and high technology. He also expressed his desire for the two countries to enhance exchanges for greater mutual understanding, with the spirit of "harmonious interests and shared risks."

To express that spirit, the Prime Minister reiterated President Ho Chi Minh's saying: "Nothing is difficult/ Only fear of a lack of perseverance/ Digging mountains and filling seas/ With determination, anything can be achieved."

Responding to a question about whether Vietnam had discussed matters with the administration of US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that Vietnam had held discussions with the US side. In particular, General Secretary To Lam had directly discussed the matter with President Trump, noting that some issues could be made public, while others were still under discussion.

Another interesting question related to President Donald Trump was posed by Ms. Gillian Tett to the head of the Vietnamese government: whether he planned to visit President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and play golf with the American leader.

In response, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed: "If playing golf brings benefits to the nation, the people, and the country, then I have no qualms and I am willing to do it."

Vietnam and the United States will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of relations and the 2nd anniversary of the establishment of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership this year.

On January 21st, on the occasion of US President Donald Trump's inauguration, General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent congratulatory letters. Prior to that, in November 2024, about six days after Trump's election victory, General Secretary To Lam had a high-level telephone conversation with him.

The dialogue session with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was broadcast live on major online platforms of the WEF - Photo: DOAN BAC

Vietnam has the potential to become a model for development.

In addition to answering questions from Ms. Gillian Tett, at the dialogue on January 21, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also conveyed Vietnam's message and views on innovation.

In it, he stated that the smart era must go hand in hand with the development of artificial intelligence and databases.

To prepare for this era, Vietnam has identified the development of artificial intelligence based on domestic databases, thereby striving to promote investment and mobilize resources for infrastructure development. On this occasion, he also announced that Vietnam's national data center is expected to be completed by June 2025.

Regarding climate change and ensuring the dual goals of economic development and environmental protection, the Prime Minister emphasized Vietnam's commitment to successfully achieving net-zero emissions and has taken many concrete steps.

Regarding the energy sector specifically, he pointed out that Vietnam had restarted the nuclear power project, for which he heads the steering committee, to ensure the country has a clean energy supply.

Concluding the dialogue session, Ms. Gillian Tett shared the opinions of foreign investors about Vietnam and affirmed that with the goal of achieving double-digit growth in the coming period, Vietnam will become a model of development in the world.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cau-tra-loi-cua-thu-tuong-khi-duoc-hoi-co-san-sang-choi-golf-voi-tong-thong-my-trump-20250122175324776.htm