Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính had talks with Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the ongoing 42nd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

LABUAN BAJO — Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the ongoing 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

The leaders noted with pleasure the rapid and strong developments of the relations between the two countries, and affirmed their resolve in realising commitments made during PM Chính's visit to Singapore in February, especially in economy, trade and investment.

They consented to enhance mutual understanding and trust through all-level delegation exchanges, creating a firm premise for the implementation of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The PMs concurred to increase meetings on the fringes of multilateral events, apart from bilateral meetings, in order to review and promote the bilateral relationship.

The two countries will organise practical activities this year in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership.

On this occasion, Lee accepted the invitation to visit Việt Nam in the second half of this year.

He also agreed with Chinh’s proposal on pushing ahead with the implementation of the Việt Nam-Singapore partnership in digital economy and green economy, towards the establishment of an inter-sectoral working mechanism on this matter, on materialising the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in digital economy reached in February 2022, and on enhancing collaboration in such new areas as digital economy, green economy and green energy, contributing to fulfilling the commitments to net zero emissions by 2050.

The two sides will also soon supplement, amend and upgrade the Framework Agreement on Việt Nam-Singapore Connectivity, and foster cooperation in e-commerce.

The PMs welcomed VSIP Group, a brand developed by a joint venture between Việt Nam's Becamex IDC Corporation and Sembcorp Development, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Sembcorp Industries, to sign an MoU on cooperation in developing smart, sustainable parks with nine Vietnamese cities and provinces.

PM Chính called this a specific step in materialising outcomes of his visit to Singapore in February, and noted his hope that such new-generation parks will create growth momentum for both nations.

The two sides pledged to pay more attention to cooperation in other spheres like security, national defence, education-training, and high-quality human resources development, including training courses in Singapore for senior officials of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV).

Regarding regional and international issues, the leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation, maintain solidarity and carry forward the centrality of the ASEAN, and support each other’s candidacies for seats at international organisations and the United Nations. — VNS