Prime Minister meets Philippine, Malaysian leaders on 42nd ASEAN Summit sidelines
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had separate meetings with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the ongoing 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 10.
At the meeting with the Philippine President, Pham reiterated that Viet Nam is willing to supply rice in a long-term and sustainable manner with suitable price for the Philippines, thus helping the nation to ensure food security.
For his part, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos asserted that Viet Nam is a crucial partner of the Philippines, expecting that the two nations would promote the role of the private sector in economic and trade cooperation.
Both sides agreed to enhance delegation exchanges at all levels and people-to-people links, affirming their determination to raise bilateral trade to US$10 billion through increasing import of each other side' key products such as farm produce, food and rice.
They vowed to deepen collaboration across all sectors including agriculture, industry, high-tech, tourism, maritime economic development, education-training and climate change adaption.
Regarding international and regional issues of mutual concerns, they pledged to foster collaboration and mutual consultations and make contribution to consolidate ASEAN centrality.
Sharing the common concerns on challenges on the East Sea, they pledged to consistently comply the principle of peacefully addressing disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), contributing to maintaining peace, stability, security and safety of aviation and navigation in the East Sea.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) meets Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, May 10, 2023 - Photo: VGP
At the meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Pham urged both countries to promote the strategic partnership in a more intensive and effective fashion.
He suggested Malaysia make it easier for Viet Nam's commodities to get access to its market, including Halal products; encourage Malaysian enterprises to pour more investment in Viet Nam; and establish a maritime management and consultation mechanism.
Anwar Ibrahim, for his side, noted that Viet Nam is a key partner of Malaysia. He agreed with the Vietnamese Prime Minister's proposal to consider setting up a hotline to facilitate the settlement of issues emerging at sea.
Both sides lauded the positive cooperation between the two countries in various spheres, especially economy, trade and investment.
They emphasized the need to maintain all-level delegation exchanges, and effectively roll out bilateral cooperation mechanisms, particularly in 2023 when the two countries mark the 50th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
The two sides vowed to closely coordinate in building a strong, united ASEAN Community, and support each other to win seats on international organizations./.
