Hanoi, 12 September 2023 (TDI): On 10 September 2023, the United States President, Joe Biden, landed in Vietnam to engage with senior leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
President Biden, during his visit to Vietnam, engaged in a meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee.
The purpose of President Biden’s visit was to elevate US-Vietnam relations to new heights.
Furthermore, both leaders celebrated a significant milestone in the state’s relationship, as they elevated it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to foster peace, collaboration, and sustainable progress.
US President Biden expressed his support for Vietnam’s aspiration to be a robust, self-reliant, prosperous, and resilient country.
Following their meeting, a joint statement was released by the White House underscoring key points of the meeting.
In the begining, the two leaders emphasized the importance of enhancing political and diplomatic ties. They expressed support for enhancing existing dialogues and forming an annual dialogue between Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the US Secretary of State.
Moreover, both leaders also agreed for their government agencies to collaborate in implementing cooperation programs.
Additionally, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to creating favorable conditions for bilateral cooperation and providing accessible diplomatic and consular facilities.
During the meeting, both leaders reiterated the significance of enhanced economic, trade, and investment cooperation and highlighted it as the foundation for their bilateral relationship.
Also, both agreed to assist market access for both states’ products and reduce trade barriers through the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.
President Biden and General Secretary Trong emphasized their commitment to a non-discriminatory, open, rule-based multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization.
Moreover, both leaders welcomed the progress under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) which will benefit both countries.
In addition, both leaders also discussed enhancing cooperation on intellectual property rights and aviation, including discussions to amend the US-Vietnam Air Transport Agreement based on Open Skies Principles.
During their meeting, President Biden pledged additional support for Vietnam in areas such as manufacturing, infrastructure development, sustainable agriculture, and clean energy transition.
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Moreover, both states decided to enhance their collaboration in the fields of science, technology, and digital innovation regarding it as a significant advancement in their CS Partnership.
Both leaders pledged to aid the swift growth of Vietnam’s semiconductor ecosystem and help improve its position in the global semiconductor supply chain. For this, the US will initially provide funding of $2 million for semiconductor workforce development.
Similarly, both leaders agreed to progress the collaboration between academic institutions in the US and Vietnam. This collaboration will involve joint research programs, fellowships, and exchange programs, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
Similarly, Both leaders decided to cooperate on multi-sector climate change adaptations, pollution reduction, and improving transmission infrastructure. Both states agreed on Just Energy Transition Partnership to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.
In the medical sector, the US expressed its support for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention centers in Vietnam. Both leaders agreed to cooperate in health security cooperation, pandemic prevention, medical research, and addressing global disease threats.
During their bilateral meeting, President Biden praised Vietnam’s global peacekeeping efforts including UN peacekeeping and disaster response.
Moreover, both leaders emphasized their enhanced collaboration between their law enforcement agencies to combat money laundering, terrorism, cybercrime, and human trafficking.
Both leaders also agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the defense industry, with US commitment to support Vietnam’s defense capabilities.
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Cooperation on Global and Regional Issues
During the meeting, both states agreed to collaborate on global issues and support peace and stability. They endorsed multilateralism, respect for international law, and ASEAN’s central role in the region.
Additionally, both leaders emphasized peaceful dispute resolution and respect for sovereignty in the South China Sea. Both leaders stressed the significance of the Mekong sub-region for stability and prosperity supporting the Mekong-US Partnership.
The US and Vietnam leaders reaffirmed their support for a peaceful, denuclearized Korean peninsula and a just peace in Ukraine by International law.
In addition, both leaders also agreed to collaborate in promoting human rights, and culture, support educational exchange and tourism promotion.
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