President Lương Cường with US President Donald Trump at a special dinner in honour of State leaders attending the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in the Republic of Korea on Wednesday. VNA/VNS Photos

GYEONGJU — President Lương Cường has proposed that Việt Nam and the US soon conclude negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement on the basis of mutual benefit and the recently issued joint statement, taking into account Việt Nam’s specific conditions and the importance of bilateral relations.

He was speaking during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at a special dinner in honour of State leaders attending the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in the Republic of Korea on Wednesday.

He also called for stronger bilateral cooperation in politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, science-technology, defence-security, people-to-people exchanges, and war legacy remediation.

Việt Nam welcomes the active and responsible contributions by the US in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, Cường said.

The two leaders spoke highly of the positive outcomes in the Việt Nam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the past.

They vowed to continue close coordination to further deepen, substantiate, stabilise and sustainably develop bilateral relations in line with the interests of the two countries, contributing positively to peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.

State President Lương Cường and US President Donald Trump attend a special dinner hosted by RoK President Lee Jae Myung.

President Cường congratulated the US on its achievements under President Trump’s leadership and appreciated his role in promoting conflict resolution and restoring peace in several regions of the world.

Việt Nam stands ready to act as a bridge and assist in seeking sustainable solutions consistent with international law for ongoing conflicts, Cường said.

President Trump reaffirmed that the US attaches great importance to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Việt Nam and highly valued Việt Nam’s increasing role and position as well as its vigorous efforts in reform, openness, integration and economic innovation.

President Trump also welcomed Việt Nam’s import of US goods.

Both presidents exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern.

The US leader reaffirmed support for ASEAN’s centrality and appreciated Việt Nam’s contributions to regional and global issues.

President Cường conveyed an invitation from Việt Nam’s senior leaders for President Trump and the First Lady to pay an official visit to Việt Nam.

President Trump expressed his memories of his previous visits to Việt Nam in 2017 and 2019, thanked the Vietnamese leaders for their invitation, and said he would arrange to visit Việt Nam in the near future.

At the dinner, President Cường also had brief meetings with the Prime Ministers of Canada, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

During the exchanges, the leaders commended Việt Nam’s all-round development in recent years and its increasingly important international role.

They reaffirmed the importance of further promoting substantive and comprehensive bilateral relations in the future, as well as enhancing coordination and active participation in cooperation processes and multilateral mechanisms and forums, including APEC and ASEAN, to contribute to regional and global stability, peace, cooperation and development. VNS