Vietnam - UK aim to double trade turnover

(Dan Tri) - The British Prime Minister hopes that Vietnam will support cooperation in e-commerce and financial services within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer had a meeting (Photo: Thong Nhat - VNA).

Within the framework of the official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the Prime Minister's Office, on the afternoon of October 29 (local time), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer chaired the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed General Secretary To Lam at the main entrance. Afterwards, General Secretary To Lam and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer led high-ranking delegations from the two countries to hold talks.

At the talks, welcoming General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the UK, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer affirmed that the visit is an important milestone in strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Vietnam on the achievements it has made in recent times under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and General Secretary To Lam personally; emphasizing that Vietnam is a dynamic economy with a high degree of openness that is playing an increasingly important role in the Asia-Pacific region and is one of the UK's leading important partners in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

At the talks, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship and strategic partnership with the UK on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit and looking towards the future, and is ready to cooperate closely with the UK to elevate the relationship on key pillars such as politics - diplomacy, defense - security, science - technology and digital transformation, finance - banking, education - training, environment and climate change response, culture and people-to-people exchange.

The General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam, as a member of ASEAN, is ready to work with the UK to act as a bridge and promote cooperation between the UK and ASEAN, and as a gateway for the UK to access the Southeast Asian market.

At the talks, the two leaders affirmed that the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the new period, especially in the economic - energy transition towards green and sustainable direction, digital technology industry development, high-quality human resource training. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his wish to develop comprehensive bilateral relations with Vietnam, especially within the frameworks of the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that the British Government is ready to support Vietnam in the process of implementing its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, while encouraging British businesses to increase investment and cooperation in Vietnam, and pledging to support Vietnam in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

The two leaders agreed to set a target of doubling trade turnover in the coming time. The British Prime Minister hopes that Vietnam will support cooperation in e-commerce and financial services within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Regarding security and defense cooperation, the two sides agreed to diversify cooperation, jointly address illegal immigration, and agreed to strengthen defense cooperation related to peacekeeping forces and training. The two sides also spent time discussing international and regional issues of mutual concern. The two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation, and peacefully resolving disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, including the East Sea, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

At the end of the talks, the two leaders issued a Joint Statement on the two sides officially upgrading the Vietnam - UK relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer exchanged a Joint Statement on upgrading Vietnam-UK relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership (Photo: Thong Nhat - VNA).

On this occasion, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the Home Office of the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in preventing and combating international fraud and a Plan to enhance cooperation on migration issues.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam invited Prime Minister Keir Starmer to visit Vietnam in the near future. Prime Minister Keir Starmer respectfully thanked him and happily accepted the invitation.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/viet-nam-anh-dat-muc-tieu-tang-kim-ngach-thuong-mai-len-gap-doi-20251030065503273.htm