Vietnam, Singapore to Exchange Visits to Boost Economic Ties

Relations between Vietnam and Singapore, particularly in economy, trade and investment, are expected to be more effective following the upcoming reciprocal visits by President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

 

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Singaporean counterpart expressed their hope during talks in Thailand October 25 on the sideline of the 15^th ASEAN Summit.

 

President Triet will arrive in Singapore to attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on Nov 14-15 while PM Lee will make his trip to Vietnam early next year.

 

Dung and Lee agreed to urge both sides’ authorities to outline new cooperative fields apart from investment, trade-service, transport, post and telecommunication-information technology, and education and training, which have been pledged in the Framework Agreement on Vietnam-Singapore Connection.

 

The expanded fields will be considered during PM Lee’s upcoming trip to Vietnam.

 

Regarding the cooperation among ASEAN, the two PMs expressed the necessity to boost the connection of road, railway, and waterway systems as well as telecommunications network among the bloc’s member nations and between Southeast Asian and East Asian regions.

 

They also agreed the East Sea-involved issue should be solved via peaceful negotiations and suitable to international laws as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the South China Sea (DOC) signed by ASEAN leaders and China in 2002. (CPV)