At the meeting, the Government leader highly appreciated the close coordination from Knapper and the U.S. Embassy, which contributed to major milestones in bilateral relations over the past four years, particularly the upgrade of ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, laying a solid foundation for a new phase of development.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) receives outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper in Hanoi on January 10. |
PM Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, multilateralization and diversification of external relations, while maintaining its defense policy of the “Four Nos”.
He noted that in the time ahead, Vietnam and the US should continue to promote exchanges of delegations at all levels, thereby consolidating political trust and creating momentum to further enhance bilateral ties.
Emphasizing that economic and trade cooperation is a key pillar of the relations, the PM commended his guest’s role in opening markets for both sides' goods and encouraging U.S. businesses to step up investment and expand operations in Vietnam. He proposed that the U.S. strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in technology transfer and digital transformation, soon recognize its market economy status, and remove Vietnam from the lists of countries subject to restrictions on high-tech exports (D1 and D3).
The PM expressed his confidence that the two sides would soon conclude negotiations on a reciprocal, fair and balanced trade agreement, helping to create a stable business environment and deliver tangible benefits for their business communities.
He also underlined the special significance and importance of cooperation in addressing war legacy issues, which helps build trust, promote reconciliation and enhance mutual understanding. He acknowledged Knapper’s persistent efforts in this area and called for continued cooperation.
On international and regional issues of shared concern, PM Pham Minh Chinh stressed the need to uphold the U.N. Charter and international law, and to resolve disputes by peaceful means. He urged the U.S. to continue supporting ASEAN’s stance on regional issues, as well as efforts to maintain peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region in accordance with international law.
For his part, Knapper expressed his pleasure at witnessing the increasingly substantive and comprehensive development of bilateral relations across all fields, describing them as a model in international relations. He thanked PM Pham Minh Chinh for his support for the advancement of Vietnam - U.S. ties.
The ambassador agreed that the two sides should further expand cooperation in key areas such as political and diplomatic relations, security and defense, trade and investment, energy, humanitarian cooperation and war legacy remediation, science and technology, and the training of high-quality human resources.
He expressed his confidence that the Vietnam - U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would continue to grow strongly, and affirmed in whatever capacity, he would remain a friend of Vietnam and continue contributing to bilateral relations.
Source: VNA