The 14th political consultation between Việt Nam and Singapore was held on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Quốc Dũng and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore Chee Wee Kiong co-chaired the 14th political consultation between the two nations via videoconference on Tuesday.

Both sides reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in various areas and discussed what they will focus on to develop the Việt Nam-Singapore strategic partnership in a more effective manner, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the negative impacts of the pandemic from early 2020 to September 2021, Singapore became the biggest foreign investor in Việt Nam with 402 new projects worth US$11.4 billion.

Dũng highlighted the significance of strengthening connectivity between the two economies, boosting cooperation to ensure supply chains, and expanding connections to new fields such as digital transformation, smart development, e-commerce, and developing Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) into hi-tech, creative and environmentally friendly ones.

Chee Wee Kiong, for his part, affirmed that Singapore would assist Việt Nam in vaccines via COVAX Facility. He suggested the two sides soon complete negotiations on mutual recognition of vaccine passports, put into operation priority travel mechanisms, resume flights and facilitate travel between the two nations.

On regional and global issues of shared concern, they spotlighted the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the East Sea, as well as peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They also expressed support for serious and full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) (called East Sea by Việt Nam) and negotiations between ASEAN and China to reach a practical, effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.  —VNS