Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Catherine West (left) and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng at their meeting in London on March 17. — Photo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

LONDON — Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Catherine West has praised Việt Nam's impressive economic achievements and affirmed the UK's commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation while meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng in London on March 17.

The meeting took place within the framework of Vietnamese Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Hoà Bình’s working visit to the UK.

Hằng expressed her pleasure at meeting the British official again and thanked the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for its support and coordination in organising Deputy PM Bình's visit.

She believed that the trip would be a success, further deepening the Việt Nam-UK Strategic Partnership and bolster economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries.

For her part, West applauded Việt Nam's impressive economic progress, noting that the UK's business community sees the two nations hold great potential for expanding cooperation. She also expressed her desire to visit Việt Nam in the coming time.

Regarding Việt Nam's plan to build financial centres, Hằng said that through the visit of Deputy PM Bình, the Vietnamese delegation hoped to gain valuable insights from the UK’s expertise and attract British businesses to contribute to the building, development, operation of the regional and international financial centres in the time ahead.

In response, the British official called Việt Nam's initiative a strategic step and affirmed the UK’s readiness to facilitate connections with British enterprises in the financial sector.

Regarding climate change response, Hằng highly valued the UK’s role as the coordinator in establishing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Việt Nam, the G7, and international partners.

She called on the UK to continue prompting G7 members, international financial institutions, and private investors to support Việt Nam's Resource Mobilisation Plan (RMP), adopted at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

The diplomat also underlined the importance of the UK's assistance in policy development, human resource training, financial access, and technological advancements for Việt Nam's green transition and sustainable development.

On this occasion, West inquired about Việt Nam's policies on improving the investment environment, and developing green and renewable energy.

The two sides also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue. — VNA/VNS