At the online dialogue

The Ambassador made the appeal at an online dialogue in Washington on April 16 chaired by Myron Brilliant, Executive Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce (USCC).

The dialogue was also attended by ambassadors from Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia, the Indonesian Chargé d’affaires, and representatives of nearly 50 major US firms in finance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, and energy.

Representatives from the USCC and US firms expressed a wish to accompany governments through public-private partnerships (PPPs) to tackle COVID-19 and bring production recovery plans to life after the pandemic has passed.

The Singaporean and Malaysian ambassadors and the Indonesian Chargé d’affaires affirmed their country’s support for regional cooperation initiatives raised by Vietnam in its role as ASEAN Chair 2020.

Ambassador Ngoc said that apart from the unprecedented challenges, COVID-19 has also helped to strengthen partnerships and international cooperation and Vietnam has played an active part in regional and global efforts to fight the pandemic.

As ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam has headed a range of important meetings and identified cooperation initiatives within ASEAN and between the bloc and its partners, he added.

The Ambassador also emphasized that with the efforts of both sides, Vietnam and the US have maintained the pace of their cooperation in all fields, especially healthcare, with the production of medical equipment and protective gear in Vietnam for export to the US being an example of effective collaboration.

Regarding Vietnam’s fight against COVID-19, Ambassador Ngoc said the Vietnamese Government and people are making every effort to complete the twin targets of fighting the virus and protecting public health while assisting economic and social sectors to overcome difficulties.

Economic stimulus packages have been introduced with the aim of leaving nobody behind, he added.

He used the occasion to call on US firms to further their investment in Vietnam and the region, in order to optimize opportunities after the pandemic is brought under control.

Patrick Kilbride, Senior Vice President of the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) at the USCC, said US enterprises stand ready to engage in PPPs with governments in the production of pharmaceutical products and protective equipment as well as in communications activities in the fight against COVID-19.VNA