Many new promises in Vietnam – US cooperation

At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will join the leaders of ASEAN countries to attend the Special Summit to celebrate the 45th anniversary of ASEAN-US relations on May 12 and 13 in Washington, D.C. DC – USA.

On this occasion, according to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will lead a Vietnamese delegation to visit and work in the United States and the United Nations from May 11 to 17.

This is the first visit to the US by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Analyzing this visit, expert Brian Eyler, Southeast Asia Program Director of the Stimson Center (USA), affirmed that there are many areas and common interests of the two countries that can be mentioned when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met.

The special plane carrying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left Hanoi on the afternoon of May 10, leaving for the US Photo: VGP

First of all, let’s talk about economic cooperation. Currently, Vietnam is one of the leading trading partners of the US in the region. According to expert Eyler, Vietnam’s economy is rapidly industrializing and within a decade or two, Vietnam could play a similar role to Korea in its economic relationship with the world in general and with the world. America in particular.

In this scenario, Vietnamese enterprises will closely participate in the US supply chain and Vietnamese brands will gradually be recognized internationally.

In the immediate future, the two countries can tighten cooperation through the existing Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and grasp aspects of the US Indo-Pacific economic cooperation framework. forthcoming, with emphasis on supply chain collaboration and digitalisation. These efforts – as expert Eyler said – could lay the groundwork for a process that ultimately leads to a bilateral free trade agreement.

Cooperation in the settlement of existing war issues is also an important area of ​​bilateral relations. This is something that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized when he visited the White House in 2015. Meanwhile, the US showed its commitment to this issue by continuing to dedicate part of its annual budget to support generations. affected by Agent Orange in Vietnam as well as searching for remains of war victims.

Also in the analysis published in the journal Foreign Policy (USA) on May 9, expert Eyler pointed out a new and promising field of cooperation between Vietnam and the US, which is climate change mitigation and adaptation.

At the United Nations climate change conference last year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced notable commitments to reduce carbon emissions, including measures not to build new coal plants and to reduce carbon emissions. switch to clean energy.

According to Mr. Eyler, to achieve these goals, it is necessary to open the door to foreign investment – including investment from the US – in clean energy sectors such as solar, wind and liquefied natural gas.

In addition, the impact caused by climate change in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia and Laos creates more opportunities for cooperation between Vietnam – the US and the whole region.

Focusing on common interests such as trade – investment, climate change… will push the two countries in the direction of upgrading relations. At the first press conference (April 20) since arriving in Vietnam, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper emphasized that the US’s priority right now is to upgrade relations with Vietnam from a Comprehensive Partnership. to a Strategic Partner.