Chinh suggested Teo further his contributions to boosting the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership across all fields via increasing the bilateral delegation exchanges at all levels and cooperation in defence-security, education-training, science-technology, digital, green and circular economy, energy transition and innovation, among others.

The Singaporean minister said he is impressed by Vietnam’s economic growth fueled by its Doi moi (reform) process and lauded the nations’ positive collaboration in the sectors of trade, investment, security-defence, digital and green economy, and digital government.

Room for such engagements remains huge, he said, affirming that he will continue to promote cooperation with Vietnam in these areas as well as in climate change response, and people-to-people exchange.

Both sides agreed that given the current complicated context, the two countries need to work together to maintain peace, stability and cooperation in the region, and settle disputes by peaceful means and on the basis of international law.

It is necessary to strengthen solidarity and unity in contribution to building a self-resilient and prosperous Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and promoting the bloc’s centrality, especially in regional issues, they said.

PM Pham Minh Chinh meets with Speaker of Singaporean Parliament

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin both voiced their hope for increasingly close-knit, substantive, and fruitful ties between the two countries at their meeting on February 9.

The event was part of the Vietnamese PM’s ongoing official visit to the city state.

The two leaders expressed their delight at the fast and extensive development of their countries’ relations, including the thriving cooperation between the two legislative bodies.

They agreed on the need to enhance collaboration and sharing of experience in institutional building so as to help boost mutual understanding and exchange between the two peoples, especially the younger generations.

PM Chinh called for Singapore’s continued assistance for Vietnam in the fields it is strong at such as the digital economy, digital transformation, innovation, startups, development of technology incubators, and education - training.

He also asked Singapore to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country.

Speaker Tan highly valued Vietnamese leaders’ decisiveness and vision during the national development process and the promotion of new areas like clean energy and sustainable development.

The Parliament of Singapore will support the initiatives and agreements that the two Governments are implementing in all aspects, he affirmed.

At the meeting, the two sides also discussed regional and international issues of shared concern.

The host leader held that Vietnam holds a highly important role in maintaining the solidarity and promoting the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He agreed that the legislatures in the two countries will keep close cooperation at the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and other parliamentary organisations, thereby helping maintain ASEAN’s solidarity and common stance on strategic issues related to regional peace and stability, including the East Sea issue.

Prime Minister receives CEOs of Standard Chartered in Singapore

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received leaders of Standard Chartered in Singapore on February 9 as part of his official visit to the city state.

He met with Simon Cooper, CEO of the Corporate and Institutional Banking segment for Europe and Americas, and Patrick Lee, CEO of Singapore and ASEAN Markets at Standard Chartered – a British multinational group with operations in investment banking and financial services.

Cooper congratulated Vietnam on socio-economic achievements over the past years and highly valued the country’s climate commitments made at climate change conferences.

He expressed his firm’s hope to cooperate with Vietnam to successfully implement the Just Energy Transition Partnership and work with the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero to achieve net zero emissions.

PM Chinh informed the guests that Vietnam is prioritising and encouraging the development of green and sustainable finance, particularly a green bond market to support the implementation of the national strategy on green growth in 2021-2030 and the commitment to net zero emission by 2050.

Welcoming Standard Chartered’s proposals to help Vietnam attract foreign investment, the PM asked the bank and partners to continue considering measures for mobilising, promoting, and providing financial products for green projects and renewable energy ones in Vietnam so as to contribute to the country’s economic restructuring and energy transition towards green and sustainable growth.

In particular, he called for loans at preferential interest rates for investors in Vietnam considering the country's situation as a developing country having to deal with many difficulties but shouldering climate change response tasks like developed ones.

The Vietnamese Government pledges to stand side by side with Standard Chartered to create conditions for foreign investors to successfully make investment and do business in the country, he added.

The same day, PM Chinh toured the Singapore City Gallery, where he inquired into Singapore's planning philosophy, the process of building Singapore into a green city, and steps to build a smart city with digital government, digital economy and digital society. VNA