Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung co-chaired a joint press briefing in Seoul on August 11. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

SEOUL — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung have said that the two countries will continue collaborating across all sectors, enhancing cooperation in key areas including diplomacy, defence, combatting transnational crime and expanding investment in infrastructure and technology, among many others.

The leaders made the statement at a joint press briefing in Seoul on Monday to share the outcomes of their talks held as part of the Vietnamese Party leader's ongoing state visit to the RoK.

General Secretary Lâm said that the two sides had just concluded a highly successful discussion.

After more than 30 years of development, the Việt Nam – RoK relationship has become a model for good ties, with outstanding and comprehensive achievements, particularly since the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022, he noted.

The Vietnamese leader emphasised that political trust between the two nations has been unceasingly reinforced, while cooperation across all areas has grown increasingly substantive and effective, and people-to-people exchanges have become more vibrant.

For his part, President Lee highlighted that the visit by the General Secretary, accompanied by his wife and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, has helped strengthen bilateral ties. During the talks, both sides held in-depth discussions on domestic developments and bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern, reaching consensus in a number of important areas.

The RoK President expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to forge cooperation across multiple fields, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples.

At the press conference, Lâm and Lee emphasised that in the spirit of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two sides had discussed and reached consensus on several major directions to further advance bilateral relations in the near future.

They agreed to continue expanding cooperation between their Parties, states, governments and parliaments to give timely strategic directions and create a favourable political foundation to expand collaboration across all fields.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung at the joint press briefing in Seoul on August 11. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

Both leaders also agreed to strengthen practical cooperation in key areas like diplomacy, defence and security, as well as work together to address non-traditional security issues, including transnational crime, cybercrime and drug trafficking.

They were unanimous in the desire to expand the scale of investment in conjunction with substantive collaboration in technology, with priority given to such areas as infrastructure development, high-tech electronic equipment manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, smart city building and the construction of specialised industrial production complexes as part of value chains.

In addition, they reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating trade and market access for each other's goods, aiming to achieve the trade target of US$150 billion by 2030. Collaboration will also be focused on developing strategic transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, digital infrastructure and infrastructure for climate change adaptation.

The leaders noted that the two sides had agreed to turn scientific and technological cooperation into a pillar and a new highlight of bilateral relations. They will actively encourage relevant agencies to boost collaboration in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and workforce training, particularly in the development of strategic technological industries and products.

Broadening cooperation in emerging and breakthrough fields such as advanced electronic equipment manufacturing, artificial intelligence and renewable energy will also be undertaken to meet the development needs of both sides.

Lâm and Lee agreed to enhance joint efforts in culture, education and people-to-people exchanges, thereby laying a solid foundation for long-term companionship between the two countries and promoting exchanges between their peoples and localities.

The leaders expressed their confidence that the Việt Nam – RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to grow in a substantive, effective and sustainable manner for the benefit of their peoples, thereby contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. — VNA/VNS