Singaporean Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) Lawrence Wong hosts the official welcome ceremony for Party General Secretary Tô Lâm at the Parliament House of Singapore. VNA/VNS Photos Thống Nhất

SINGAPORE — Singaporean Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) Lawrence Wong hosted a welcome ceremony for visiting General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm on Wednesday morning.

Following the ceremony, the Vietnamese leader and his host had a retreat before leading their respective delegations to official talks.

Lâm and Wong are scheduled to witness the exchange of cooperation agreements between the two countries and meet the media following their talks. An official banquet will also be organised for the Vietnamese Party chief.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong receives Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on Wednesday morning

This is the first visit to Singapore by Lâm in his position as the CPV General Secretary, marking a new milestone in the bilateral relations, and demonstrating Việt Nam’s special attention to elevating relations with Singapore to new heights, in line with Việt Nam’s foreign policy.

The visit is also expected to deepen the ties between the CPV and the PAP, laying a solid political foundation for the bilateral relationship. It will also contribute to further promoting cooperation between the two countries in such areas as green economy, digital economy, science-technology and innovation, clean energy, and financial centre development.

The Việt Nam-Singapore relations have grown strongly since the two countries established the Strategic Partnership in 2013. Notably, Singapore is the largest ASEAN investor and ranks second among 147 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam, with 3,915 valid projects worth over US$83 billion. Singaporean investors have poured capital into 18 out of the 21 economic sectors in Việt Nam, with focus on processing, manufacturing, real estate, and production and distribution of electricity and gas.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and General Secretary Tô Lâm review the guard of honour at the welcome ceremony on Wednesday.

One of the success symbols in the bilateral relations is the Việt Nam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) model. To date, there are 18 VSIPs in 13 provinces and cities across Việt Nam, attracting over $18.7 billion in investment and creating jobs for more than 300,000 workers.

Meanwhile, Việt Nam has run 180 investment projects in Singapore, with total registered capital of over $668 million, focusing on science – technology, and information – communications. — VNS