Vietnam attaches importance to strategic partnership with UK

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) welcomes US Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss in Hanoi on Dec. 11. (Photo: VNA)

Phuc welcomed Truss’s visit and said both sides still hold great potential for stronger cooperation, especially in trade, investment and green energy development.

He said many of the UK-invested projects have been successfully implemented in Vietnam, and Vietnam expects to receive more UK investors in the future.

The Vietnamese government creates the best possible conditions for foreign businesses, including those from the UK, to operate efficiently in the country, Phuc assured his guest.

For her part, Truss said she is happy that the UK and Vietnam have concluded negotiations of their free trade agreement (FTA) which was signed in Hanoi on Dec. 11.

The UKVFTA is expected to bring about practical benefits to the two countries, Truss told PM Phuc, adding that the UK considers Vietnam as a reliable and stable partner.

She thanked Vietnam for lobbying the UK to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to facilitate free trade in the context of the protectionist trend. She voiced the UK’s commitment to joining hands with Vietnam to promote free trade and economic recovery post COVID-19.

She informed his host on the UK’s preparations for organising the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and hoped Vietnam would contribute to realizing the goal.

Regarding this issue, the Vietnamese Prime Minister said Vietnam will actively and responsibly participate and contribute to global climate change response efforts. He also highly appreciated the UK’s view on ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, known as the East Sea in Vietnam.

On this occasion, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent an invitation to the British Prime Minister to visit Vietnam soon.