Chairman of National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ (right) welcomes Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Chairman of National Assembly (NA) Vương Đình Huệ and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expected the two countries' legislative bodies will strengthen cooperation and experience exchanges, especially in perfecting the development of institutions.

Huệ hosted the Malaysian guest in Hà Nội on Friday morning during which he pledged the Vietnamese NA and himself personally would make utmost efforts to foster cooperation between the two countries' legislative bodies on the bilateral scale, within the framework of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) as well as at regional and global forums.

He affirmed that Việt Nam attached importance to and was determined to promote the strategic partnership with Malaysia to deepen the bilateral partnership in a substantive and effective manner in all fields, on the Party, Government, Parliament channels, and in people-to-people exchanges and at both central and local levels.

During the talks with NA Chairman Huệ, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his admiration for President Hồ Chí Minh and the resilient spirit of the Vietnamese people in the fight against foreign invaders.

He affirmed that Việt Nam played an important role to the Malaysian people and was Malaysia's only strategic partner in ASEAN.

At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to continue creating favourable conditions for each other's investment, business and trade, as well as support the review and limitation of trade remedies, and maintain and strengthen supply chains, especially when all countries are looking for ways to diversify markets to adapt to the current international context.

Highlighting the importance of growing bilateral trade in a more balanced manner, the two sides vowed to coordinate in reviewing, researching, and setting up mechanisms to promote cooperation in fishing, processing and consuming fishery products. This was an area where both sides share demands and can complement each other.

The two leaders also pledged to support businesses in Việt Nam in the Halal food industry in which Malaysia has strengths and Việt Nam has great potential.

The Malaysian Prime Minister agreed to consider increasing the import of a number of Vietnamese products to Malaysia.

The two leaders also discussed the importance of sea and ocean cooperation and considered the establishment of a consultation mechanism on maritime issues and a hotline to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

NA Chairman Huệ and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to maintain ASEAN's common stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) and to continue to coordinate in the next phase of the Code of Conduct (COC) negotiations, as well as to make positive contributions to a substantive and effective COC consistent with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

NA Chairman Huệ highly appreciated that Malaysia granted a licence to establish the "Malaysia – Việt Nam Friendship Association" in 2022.

He hoped the Malaysian Government would continue to pay attention to and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Malaysia.

He expected the two sides to accelerate negotiations and sign a new agreement on aviation cooperation to promote the development of culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Through Malaysian Prime Minister, Huệ cordially invited the Malaysian Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate to pay official visits to Việt Nam soon.

Huệ also invited the Malaysian Parliament to send a delegation to attend the IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians hosted by the Vietnamese NA in September.

Việt Nam-Malaysia Business Forum

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called on Vietnamese and Malaysian businesses to further strengthen their cooperation in green, sustainable and environmentally-friendly economic growth while speaking at the Việt Nam-Malaysia Business Forum on Friday.

The event attracted the participation of various leading officials from two countries’ ministries and sectors and hundreds of business representatives.

It opened the way for a number of opportunities in business and investment cooperation to promote the major potential of Vietnamese and Malaysian businesses.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his positive impression of Việt Nam's economic achievements over the past time.

The vision and leadership of the Vietnamese Government in promoting a favourable business environment played an important role in the country’s economic development, as well as contributing to strengthening the bilateral relationship between Việt Nam and Malaysia, he said.

He noted that in 2021 the two countries had set a target of US$18 billion bilateral trade turnover by 2025. Based on Malaysian statistics, the total trade turnover between the two countries has already exceeded the set target.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) just signed on Thursday afternoon showed efforts of connecting the two countries' business communities, including trade promotion activities, exchange of information on policies and investment, he said.

Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul said Malaysia and Việt Nam were not only ASEAN members and active in ASEAN economic agreements but also members of important free trade agreements such as the RCEP and CPTPP. These mechanisms wouldcreate impetus for the post-pandemic economic recovery efforts of the two countries.

According to the forum’s participants, the two countries have closely-complementary economies. With a thriving manufacturing sector and advanced technology, Malaysia will bring investment opportunities to Vietnamese businesses. Việt Nam's vast market base as well as its dynamic and rapidly growing economy will provide Malaysia with a rich potential market for goods and service exchanges.

The two countries still have ample room for cooperation in a variety of fields such as real estate, energy, Halal products, food and beverages, construction and building materials, and medical and pharmaceutical products, according to participants. — VNS