Party General Secretary meets with Saif Malik, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank and Head of Client Coverage. VNA/VNS Photo

LONDON – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm on Wednesday met with executives from several leading British corporations and international financial institutions as part of his official visit to the United Kingdom.

Meeting with Saif Malik, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank and Head of Client Coverage, the UK, General Secretary Lâm commended the positive results achieved in financial and banking cooperation between Việt Nam and the UK in recent years. He expressed his hope that Standard Chartered will continue to provide advice and support to help Việt Nam develop into a regional financial hub.

He thanked the bank for its assistance in Việt Nam’s recent stock market upgrade and called on Standard Chartered to support efforts to improve the country’s credit rating and assist with upcoming bond issuances, helping Việt Nam raise capital at reasonable costs to advance national development.

Malik said he was honoured to meet the Vietnamese Party chief and praised the Party’s sound leadership in maintaining macroeconomic stability and promoting sustainable growth, thereby strengthening confidence of the business community and investors. Agreeing with General Secretary Lâm’s assessment of Asia’s growing role in global finance, Malik reaffirmed Standard Chartered’s long-term commitment to investing in Việt Nam and contributing to its prosperity.

In a meeting with Chris Drewer, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Accounts, Asia–Pacific, at Airbus Group, General Secretary Lâm lauded the group’s successful cooperation with Vietnamese partners, which has contributed to the rapid and increasingly self-reliant development of Việt Nam’s aviation and aerospace industries.

He said Việt Nam is accelerating the development of its aviation sector to meet the people's rising travel demand and support the country's deeper global integration. He encouraged Airbus to expand cooperation with Vietnamese airlines to expand the Airbus supply and production chain in Việt Nam; enhance training of skilled personnel; promote aircraft engine maintenance; and consider establishing an Airbus centre in Việt Nam to provide passenger, cargo, and maintenance services. He also proposed that the group facilitate Vietnamese carriers' direct negotiation on aircraft purchase agreements.

Drewer affirmed Airbus’s commitment to remaining a key partner of Việt Nam and expressed interest in supplying more aircraft to Vietnamese airlines while expanding collaboration to areas such as helicopters, military aircraft, science-technology cooperation, and satellites.

Later, at a meeting with Helen Wilson, Senior Vice President of Sales at Rolls-Royce, General Secretary Lâm praised the group’s capabilities and experience as one of the world’s leading industrial corporations, particularly in aviation.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm has a meeting with Helen Wilson, Senior Vice President of Sales at Rolls-Royce. VNA/VNS Photo

He proposed that Rolls-Royce continue working with Việt Nam on research and development of sustainable aviation fuels, training high-quality human resources, and transferring aerospace technology to Vietnamese partners. In the near term, he encouraged the group to establish a Rolls-Royce engine maintenance and repair centre in Việt Nam, affirming that the country will create favourable conditions for foreign enterprises investing and operating there.

Wilson expressed her delight over the group’s cooperation with Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet in aircraft engine supply and maintenance, which has supported the growth of Vietnam’s aviation sector, affirming Rolls-Royce’s commitment to contributing to the development of a low-emission aviation industry and expanding cooperation with Việt Nam in other fields. VNA/VNS