Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (left) held talks with Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong during his visit to the country in February 2023. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

SINGAPORE — Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s official visit to Việt Nam from August 27-29 will help consolidate and deepen the two countries’ strategic partnership for peace and stability in the region and the world, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phước Dũng has said.

This will be Lee’s fifth visit to Việt Nam in his position as the Prime Minister of Singapore, showing the closeness and cohesion between the two nations.

It is among a wide range of activities in celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership. Lee is expected to attend many important activities and events.

Dũng said he believes that based on the fine cooperation results, during the Singaporean leader’s trip, the two countries will continue concretising and implementing agreements reached in Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính's Singapore visit in February.

The two countries are expected to sign an agreement on carbon credit. If inked, this will be the first of its kind Singapore has reached with any country in the world, as it wishes the deal will be a model for cooperation between ASEAN countries, the diplomat stated.

Việt Nam will extend the signing of the framework agreement on connecting the two economies, which will be expanded to new areas such as green economy, digital economy and innovation.

Regarding human resources development, the two sides can promote cooperation in education and training, and in training skilled human resources and senior managers of the State and State-owned enterprises.

They will also increase high-level working meetings to accelerate the implementation of existing cooperation programmes, he said, adding that from eight to 10 very important documents in many fields will be signed during this visit.

Associate Professor Vũ Minh Khương from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy under National University of Singapore, also believes the visit carries a significant meaning in the Việt Nam-Singapore ties, both at present and in the future.

Khương said that PM Lee’s visit has a strategic importance in the context where the world is experiencing many changes and the two countries are facing great challenges.

Singapore sees Việt Nam as a particularly important partner with a population of 100 million and a strategic location which is maintaining a growth trend and will become a large economy in the future, he said.

The scholar underlined that the two countries share strategic trust and similar viewpoints in many areas as both economies are greatly dependent on the world economy and the two countries are supporters of peace and stability.

The expert asserted that Việt Nam will be a special strategic partner of Singapore in the coming time.

Khương said that the all-round cooperation between Việt Nam and Singapore has been bustling, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, adding the two governments are making specific preparations to lay a foundation for the future.

Việt Nam has shown a strong performance in attracting investment from Singapore, while the exchange between the two countries has been deepened and become comprehensive, the expert said.

He stressed the need for Việt Nam to promote offshore power, underlining that the two sides should become the motivation for the formation of a power network in Southeast Asia.

Noting that Singapore has signed agreements with some countries on strengthening cooperation in digital economy, the scholar said he hopes Việt Nam will join this cooperation group at an early date. — VNS