President To Lam receives Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China)

On the afternoon of August 1, at the Presidential Palace,President To Lam received Mr. Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) on the occasion of his official visit to Vietnam from July 31 to August 2, 2024.

President To Lam receives Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) Lee Ka-chiu. Photo: An Dang/VNA

In an open and sincere atmosphere, President To Lam welcomed and highly appreciated the first official bilateral visit to Vietnam by the Head of Hong Kong since the establishment of the Special Administrative Region in 1997; believing that the visit will contribute to strongly promoting the practical and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields between Vietnam and Hong Kong as well as actively contributing to the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future of strategic significance.

On this occasion, President To Lam expressed his gratitude to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China; General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping; and leaders of the Chinese Party and State for their early condolences and special affection for General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; and thanked Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Lee Ka-chiu for his condolences on the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Congratulating and appreciating Hong Kong's development achievements, President To Lam affirmed that, on the basis of consistently considering the development of cooperative and friendly relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority in the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification, Vietnam always respects and supports the policy of "one country, two systems", the Basic Law and related regulations of Hong Kong, supporting Hong Kong to develop prosperously, flourish and have happy people.

President To Lam emphasized that Hong Kong is a place closely associated with and marking many important events in the history of the Vietnamese revolution and the revolutionary activities of President Ho Chi Minh.

President To Lam was pleased and appreciated the fact that Hong Kong (China) is currently the 7th largest trade partner and the 5th largest FDI investor of Vietnam, while Vietnam is the 2nd largest trade partner in ASEAN and the 7th largest in the world of Hong Kong. The President appreciated Hong Kong's issuance of a new policy to facilitate Vietnamese citizens entering Hong Kong.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Lee Ka-chiu once again sent his deepest condolences to the Vietnamese people on the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; and expressed his gratitude to President To Lam for taking the time to receive the delegation and for having a profound and comprehensive exchange on the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Hong Kong (China).

Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu emphasized that this was the first official visit to Vietnam by the Head of the Hong Kong (China) government, demonstrating Hong Kong's special regard for its relations with Vietnam; expressed his joy and sincere congratulations on Vietnam's important achievements in socio-economic development; believed that Vietnam would increasingly develop prosperously, have an increasingly high role and position in the international arena, and support Vietnam in successfully organizing multilateral events, including APEC 2027.

To strengthen the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Hong Kong (China) in the coming time, President To Lam hopes that the two sides will increase exchanges at all levels; promote cooperation in the fields of economics, trade and investment; thank the Hong Kong (China) government for creating favorable conditions for the work and activities of the Vietnamese Consulate General as well as the Vietnamese community in Hong Kong (China); and hope that the Hong Kong (China) government will continue to facilitate visas for Vietnamese citizens and students coming to Hong Kong to work, travel and study. President To Lam also suggested that the two sides strengthen cooperation in multilateral mechanisms and forums of which Vietnam and Hong Kong are members.

Agreeing with President To Lam's cooperation proposals, Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu affirmed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches importance to developing mutually beneficial cooperative relations with Vietnam, especially in the fields of economy, trade, investment, culture, education and tourism.

Believing that cooperation between the two sides is highly complementary and has great potential, Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu suggested that Vietnam pay attention to and exploit the advantages and special conditions of Hong Kong, an area that is both part of China's major development strategies and highly open to the world.

Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu hopes that the two sides will increase exchanges and delegations between government agencies, encourage businesses and associations of both sides to connect, further promote cooperation in trade, investment, finance and banking, tourism, aviation and emerging fields such as science and technology, digital economy, digital transformation, clean energy... to continuously bring practical benefits to the people and business communities of both sides.

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