Promoting a stronger, more comprehensive Vietnam-UK relationship

Over the past half century of establishing diplomatic relations, the friendship between Vietnam and the UK has been constantly strengthened and developed. During General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the bilateral relationship between the two countries was raised to a new, more comprehensive and stronger level.

General Secretary To Lam witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation agreements between ministries, sectors and enterprises of the two countries. (Photo: THONG NHAT/VNA)

As one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, over the past half century, the friendship and solidarity between the two peoples have been constantly strengthened and developed. The official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland by General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation took place on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership, an important milestone for the two countries to look back on the past cooperation journey, and set out a new vision and development orientation for bilateral relations in the coming period.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Do Minh Hung, the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the UK has developed very well with many outstanding achievements in the fields of bilateral cooperation as well as effective coordination between the two countries at multilateral forums and international organizations. The UK is currently Vietnam's third largest trading partner in Europe and Vietnam is the UK's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia. Over the past years, trade exchange between the two sides has maintained a growth rate of 18 to 20% per year. Cooperation in education - training and science - technology is a bright spot with many important steps forward in recent years. The UK actively supports improving English training capacity in Vietnam and expanding scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the UK. About 15,000 students are studying at UK universities, colleges and high schools, and thousands of Vietnamese experts and intellectuals are working in the fields of science and technology research, finance and innovation in the UK, creating a solid foundation for developing high-quality human resources to meet the challenges and requirements of the era of technology and innovation globally.

Through discussions with friends during the visit, General Secretary To Lam assessed that in addition to the positive results achieved, economic-trade-investment cooperation between Vietnam and the UK is not commensurate with the good political-foreign relations and the potential, strengths and room for cooperation of each country. The two countries need a new, practical, measurable cooperation model that spreads benefits directly to the people.

At the talks, General Secretary To Lam and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to issue a Joint Statement on upgrading bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with six main pillars of cooperation. The two leaders agreed to set a target of doubling trade turnover in the coming time. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his desire to develop comprehensive bilateral relations and affirmed that the British Government is ready to support Vietnam in the process of implementing its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050; encourage British businesses to increase investment and cooperation in Vietnam; and commit to supporting Vietnam in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The Prime Minister also hoped that Vietnam would support cooperation in e-commerce and financial services within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

A series of agreements in the fields of economics, green finance, education and training, healthcare, clean energy, renewable energy, local cooperation, etc. were signed within the framework of the visit, creating a foundation to deepen the cooperative relationship between the two countries. At the same time, the Vietnam-UK High-Level Economic Conference took place with lively discussions and practical proposals in the fields of finance, technology and energy, showing the potential and room for cooperation between the two countries, while expressing the common aspiration to turn the cooperative vision into concrete actions.

In the Joint Statement, the UK affirmed its continued support for Vietnam in promoting English teaching and training, aiming to make English the second language in Vietnamese schools by 2035. The two sides will coordinate to effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation by 2025 to enhance cooperation in the fields of health, green growth and breakthrough technology. Vietnam and the UK also agreed to strengthen cooperation in developing Vietnam's International Financial Centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. This initiative takes advantage of the UK's experience as a global financial center and a green capital market center. This is in line with Vietnam's desire to develop international financial human resources through training programs, expert exchanges and links between major financial centers, creating an environment for the young generation of Vietnamese experts to learn international management experience.

Currently, the UK invests heavily in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and asserts itself as a leading country in AI research and development, largely thanks to world-class universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and University College London. These universities provide a significant portion of the UK's top AI talent. In addition to the academic world, the UK also has a thriving private AI sector. During this visit, General Secretary To Lam visited Oxford University, one of the world's leading higher education centers, which has had many cooperative activities with a number of schools in Vietnam in the fields of biomedicine, physics, etc.

In his policy statement here, the General Secretary emphasized that if Vietnam wants to go far, fast, stable, sustainable and proactively, it cannot rely solely on natural resources, cheap labor, or human resource advantages... but has chosen a very clear direction: Science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and knowledge economy will be the main growth drivers in the coming period. The General Secretary suggested the direction of cooperation with Oxford University on joint training and research in key areas such as public health, biotechnology, nuclear science, basic science... and affirmed his belief in creating a knowledge and technology network between educational institutions and localities of the two countries.

On the basis of having built a strong and long-term strategic partnership, the two countries continue to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, clearly affirming their position as long-term strategic partners to jointly shape cooperation standards in the 21st century. Pleased with this result, General Secretary To Lam emphasized his desire and belief that if the two sides join hands to build a comprehensive strategic cooperation framework based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and long-term vision, the Vietnam-UK relationship will not only advance to a new level on the diplomatic map of the times, but also become a driving force, a model, a common success story for both countries.

HANH NGUYEN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thuc-day-quan-he-viet-nam-anh-toan-dien-manh-me-hon-post919475.html