During his official visit to Singapore, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the morning of February 9 at Istana Palace (Singapore).

At the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for his good feelings about Vietnam; congratulate Singapore on rapid recovery and recovery from the Covid-19 epidemic; believes that Singapore will soon achieve the “Green Plan 2030” goal of building a harmonious and increasingly prosperous society.

The two prime ministers greatly appreciated the positive developments in Vietnam-Singapore relations, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Political trust has been further strengthened through regular exchanges of high-level delegations and the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

At the same time, cooperation in all areas will be deepened, especially economic cooperation. Singapore leads ASEAN and ranks second in the world in terms of investment capital in Vietnam with 3,095 projects and total capital of US$70.8 billion, accounting for 22.9% of total registered FDI capital. The Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) continue to operate very efficiently and are a symbol of the success of investment cooperation.

Regarding the priorities of cooperation in the coming period, the two prime ministers agreed to strengthen political trust, maintain high-level exchanges and contacts at all levels and through all channels; promotion of economic cooperation; Effectively implement cooperation agreements, including the Memorandum of Understanding to establish the “Vietnam-Singapore Digital Economy-Green Economy Partnership” recently signed on this occasion; Creation of favorable conditions for the implementation of cooperation in new and potential areas such as digital economy, green and circular economy, innovation, clean energy, combating climate change…

Both sides agreed to intensify cooperation in defense and security, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, especially between young people of both countries. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged Singapore to explore the possibility of signing a labor cooperation agreement between the two countries.

The two sides also agreed to consider upgrading the cooperation mechanism between the two countries to further facilitate the implementation of cooperation fields between the two countries in the new context.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed Singapore to increase imports of agricultural products, seafood and textiles from Vietnam. Facilitate the introduction of Vietnamese goods into the distribution system in Singapore.

The Prime Minister also reiterated that Vietnam, with a stable political system and an increasingly improving investment environment, welcomes and creates favorable conditions for Singaporean companies to expand their investments in Vietnam, especially in areas such as digital transformation, green energy, science and technology, innovation, etc.

Singapore Prime Minister Thanked Vietnam for Approving Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) Nghe An II Investment Permit Policy; Supporting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s proposals to open more community VSIPs and emphasizing full support for clean energy cooperation and linking transmission and electricity trading.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on Singapore to increase support to Vietnam in development, improve the quality of human resources, especially strategic-level personnel, and help Vietnam implement the 2021-2030 VET Development Strategy. The Prime Minister also suggested that the Singapore government should continue to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Singapore and strengthen the two countries’ ties on the basis of cultural and personal exchanges between the two countries.

The Singaporean Prime Minister reiterated that the Singapore government is always interested in creating conditions for the Vietnamese community to be treated fairly and have the opportunity to contribute to Singaporean society. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also highly appreciated the Vietnamese students for their hard work and good achievements in study and research.

Discussing regional and international issues, the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation, uphold solidarity and unity, and promote ASEAN’s central role, particularly on strategic issues such as peace and harmony, stability in the Baltic Sea and the Region. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cordially invited Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to pay an official visit to Vietnam in 2023. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gladly accepted the invitation.

Also on the morning of February 9, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob. At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to assess that the rapid implementation of high-level and high-level exchanges and contacts on both sides immediately after the reopening in 2022 has helped boost confidence and eliminate difficulties, thereby paving the way for mutual cooperation recovery and development, contributing to the joint construction of an independent, self-reliant economy with deep international integration.

The two leaders also agreed to further deepen the pillars of cooperation, especially in the areas of politics, economy, security, defense, education and training of high-quality human resources, especially senior officials. promoting people-to-people exchanges, stimulating tourism demand; promoting maritime connectivity initiatives; and strengthening cooperation in new areas in line with the technology age 4.0.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reiterated to encourage Singaporean companies to expand and develop VSIP zones towards green, intelligent and energy-saving industrial parks; Simultaneously research and open more VSIPs in locations far from the center to help Vietnam develop evenly across regions. On that occasion, the Prime Minister suggested that the two sides should sign a labor cooperation agreement between the two countries soon.

Both sides also pledged to promote cooperation within multilateral fora such as ASEAN, APEC, the United Nations; agreed to continue working together to build a stable, united and strong ASEAN community.

In the afternoon of the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also met with Singapore National Assembly Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin. During this meeting, the two heads of state expressed their satisfaction at the rapid and profound developments in relations between the two countries; reiterated that he always values ​​and wishes Vietnam-Singapore relations to become closer, more reliable, more substantial and more effective.

Both sides also appreciated the good development of the cooperative relationship between the two legislatures; They agreed to enhance cooperation and share experience in institution building, perfecting the legal system and contributing to better understanding and personal exchanges between the two countries, especially between the younger generations.

The Prime Minister hoped Singapore would continue to support Vietnam in areas where Singapore has strengths, such as digital economy, digital transformation, innovation, start-ups, technology incubator development, education and training; proposed to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to do business, live and study in Singapore.

The President of the National Assembly of Singapore recognized the Vietnamese leadership’s determination and foresight in the process of developing the country and promoting the implementation of new areas such as clean energy and sustainable development; to confirm that the Parliament of Singapore will definitely support the initiatives and agreements that the two governments are implementing in all areas…