HÀ NỘI — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hà Kim Ngọc and US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins co-chaired the 13th Việt Nam-US Political, Security, and Defence Dialogue in Hanoi on August 26.

This was the first dialogue of its kind after the two countries upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023.

The two sides appreciated the effective bilateral coordination in implementing the high-level commitments outlined in the 2023 joint statement on the elevation of the relationship. They expressed their satisfaction with the practical progress made across all areas, including politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, security-defence, as well as culture, education and people-to-people exchanges, thus creating a positive momentum towards the 30th founding anniversary of Việt Nam-US diplomatic relations (1995-2025).

Ngọc affirmed that Việt Nam considers the US as a partner of strategic importance and welcomed the US's commitment to support a strong, independent, self-reliant, and prosperous Việt Nam.

He proposed the two sides enhance coordination to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership framework in a deep, practical and stable manner; increase high-level meetings to maintain stability and positive momentum for the bilateral relations and to effectively utilise dialogue mechanisms, including the Political-Security-Defence Dialogue in order to build trust, mutual understanding, and cooperation, while addressing obstacles in the bilateral relationship.

The Vietnamese official also welcomed the inclusion of high-tech cooperation in the dialogue agenda for the first time, contributing to the implementation of collaboration in this breakthrough field as affirmed in the 2023 Việt Nam-US Joint Statement.

Jenkins praised the effective implementation of existing agreements on defence and security cooperation, and agreed to continue prioritising the settlement of war consequences in the bilateral relationship. The US is committed to maintaining resources for collaborating with and supporting Việt Nam in addressing the war aftermath, including dioxin decontamination, bomb and mine clearance, assistance to Agent Orange victims, and the search, gathering, and identification of fallen soldiers' remains, she affirmed.

Jenkins also expressed gratitude to the Vietnamese government for its active and effective cooperation in the search for missing US servicemen during the wartime, adding that the US will continue to enhance defence and security cooperation with Việt Nam under established frameworks and agreements, suitable to Việt Nam's needs. This includes cooperation in areas such as training, military medicine, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and prevention and control of cybersecurity and high-tech crimes.

Regarding international and regional issues of mutual concern, both sides agreed to intensify cooperation for peace, security, collaboration and development in the region and the world.

Jenkins affirmed that the US highly evaluates and prioritises the Indo-Pacific region, and supports ASEAN's central role in the regional architecture. She also affirmed that the US will continue to work closely with Vietnam to further enhance the effectiveness of the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Mekong-US Partnership.

As for the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) situation, they stressed the importance of maintaining peace, security, and order at sea, promoting freedom of navigation and overflight in the sea. They emphasised the principle of not using or threatening to use force, and solving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, especially the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The two sides outlined specific measures to maintain the effective implementation of the 2023 Việt Nam-US Joint Statement. — VNS