PM Chinh"s visit to enhance Singapore-Vietnam relations: Singaporean FM
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (Photo: VNA)
The coming visit to Singapore by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will be a key platform for both countries to reaffirm their excellent ties, said Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in his written interview with the Vietnam News Agency.
The following is the full text of the interview.
Reporter: This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between Singapore and Vietnam. How do you evaluate the Singapore-Vietnam relations in the past half century, especially in the last decade? What should the two countries do to further our bilateral cooperation and to advance the development of each country?
FM Vivian Balakrishnan: The ties between Singapore and Vietnam have grown from strength to strength since we established diplomatic relations 50 years ago. We are longstanding friends and close partners that enjoy wide-ranging cooperation in many areas, both bilaterally and at multilateral fora. I am heartened that the bilateral relationship has continued to expand and evolve to tackle new challenges over the past decade. Our linkages are particularly strong in trade and investment. The 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) across Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam have attracted 17 billion USD in investments and created over 300,000 jobs. The VSIP is an enduring icon of our bilateral partnership which is built on the close friendship and consultations between the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew and former Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, who had asked Mr Lee to advise Vietnam on its economic opening in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Even as we strengthen cooperation in traditional areas such as trade and investment, there remain many opportunities to work together in new growth areas like the digital economy, renewable energy, carbon credits, green financing, cybersecurity, and sustainable infrastructure. I would encourage interested parties to explore collaboration in these areas, to establish mutually beneficial partnerships that advance the interests of both countries.
Reporter: What is the significance of the upcoming visit to Singapore by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh? What do you vision about the prospect of Vietnam-Singapore cooperation in the coming decade?
PM Pham Minh Chinh (L) and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong meet on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November 2022. (Photo: VNA)
FM Vivian Balakrishnan: We warmly welcome Prime Minister Chinh, who is making his first Official Visit to Singapore. Prime Minister Chinh’s visit has an added significance as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Vietnam and the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Partnership this year. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also accepted Prime Minister Chinh’s invitation to visit Vietnam. We are confident that Prime Minister Chinh will have a fruitful and productive visit to Singapore.
Looking ahead, I would like to highlight two areas in which there is much scope for closer collaboration between Singapore and Vietnam. First, we need to accelerate our cooperation in the digital economy. This is a priority for both Singapore and Vietnam, and encompasses many new areas such as cybersecurity, cross-border data flows, smart cities, innovation, artificial intelligence, and digital payments. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of digital trade and e-commerce in ensuring supply chain resilience and business continuity. During the series of high-level exchanges last year, leaders on both sides also agreed on the importance of accelerating cooperation in digital transformation. Second, sustainable development. Like COVID-19, climate change is a global issue that can only be tackled through the collective effort of governments and people worldwide. Singapore is keen to work with Vietnam in renewable energy, carbon credits, and sustainable infrastructure with the ambitious goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Reporter: In their bilateral meeting on the occasion of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Cambodia in November 2022, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agreed to direct the ministries and relevant agencies of the two countries to study a possible framework of a digital economy - green economy partnership between the two countries. How do you assess the prospects for bilateral cooperation in these fields?
FM Vivian Balakrishnan: As mentioned earlier, there is great potential for both our countries to work together in these two fields. I recall that during my last visit to Vietnam in June 2021, both sides had agreed to establish a Digital Economy Working Group to identify useful areas of cooperation. We have since put in place the foundations for working together. First, in February 2022 the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information concluded an MOU on Digital Economy. This was followed up in October 2022, an MOU on Cybersecurity, Cybercrime, Data Flows and Personal Data Protection Cooperation was signed between the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information and the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security. I am certain that these collaborations will produce concrete outcomes, given our common interest in harnessing the potential of the digital economy to improve our people’s lives.
The 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) across Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam have attracted 17 billion USD in investments and created over 300,000 jobs. (Photo: VNA)
I understand that Prime Minister Chinh himself plays an active role as Chair of the National Steering Committees for both Digitalisation and Climate Change, and that the target is for Vietnam’s digital economy to contribute to 20% of GDP by 2025. Vietnam is keen to build up an e-government, e-society, and digital population. Similarly, Singapore’s Smart Nation strategy aims to build a digital economy, digital government and digital society, with every industry, business and government agency driving whole-of-nation digitalisation. As for the green economy, both Singapore and Vietnam have set the same target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Both countries are also keen to work together to harness renewable energy for a more sustainable future. Vietnam enjoys an abundance of wind and sunlight, which it could harness to generate renewable energy for both domestic consumption and export to other countries. Within the region, there is already the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS PIP), and there is much scope for countries in the region to work together to realise an ASEAN power grid. There are many areas of complementarity between Singapore and Vietnam in the fields of digital economy and green economy, and much more that our countries can do together.
We look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Chinh to Singapore. This will be a key platform for both countries to reaffirm our excellent ties, take stock of our cooperation and discuss ways to advance our Strategic Partnership as we work together to create a more resilient and green future as well as a peaceful and prosperous Southeast Asia./.
Related News

Vietnam kicked off the year with a strong start in trade, exceeding US$63 billion in the first month
16:30 | 15/02/2025 Import-Export

Vietnam, Korea Customs sign AEO MRA
11:07 | 26/12/2024 Customs

Prioritizing semiconductor workforce training
09:16 | 15/12/2024 Headlines

Vietnam-Cambodia: Looking back on journey of cooperation
14:45 | 11/12/2024 Customs
Latest News

15th National Assembly concludes ninth extraordinary session
16:21 | 19/02/2025 Headlines

Party chief requests priority for sci-tech development, digital transformation
07:48 | 17/02/2025 Headlines

Monetary policy is a key factor for economic stability and growth
16:30 | 15/02/2025 Headlines

Việt Nam commits to being safe, attractive destination for investors
09:47 | 13/02/2025 Headlines
More News

Minister of Planning and Investment outlines six strategies to boost Việt Nam’s private sector
14:41 | 10/02/2025 Headlines

Positive economy growth forecast in 2025, but caution remains
08:24 | 10/02/2025 Headlines

Labour market to see changes in key industries
15:31 | 07/02/2025 Headlines

Prime Minister warns of possible global trade war, pushes for preparation
14:13 | 06/02/2025 Headlines

Positive economic indicators recorded in early 2025: Gov't spokesperson
14:10 | 06/02/2025 Headlines

General Secretary urges immediate return to work after Tết
14:07 | 05/02/2025 Headlines

Government holds gathering to celebrate Party’s 95th anniversary, Lunar New Year
07:54 | 04/02/2025 Headlines

Việt Nam’s manufacturing PMI slips into contraction in January
14:29 | 03/02/2025 Headlines

Party’s 95-year journey: Capitalising on great solidarity in era of nation’s rise
14:26 | 03/02/2025 Headlines
Your care

15th National Assembly concludes ninth extraordinary session
16:21 | 19/02/2025 Headlines

Party chief requests priority for sci-tech development, digital transformation
07:48 | 17/02/2025 Headlines

Monetary policy is a key factor for economic stability and growth
16:30 | 15/02/2025 Headlines

Việt Nam commits to being safe, attractive destination for investors
09:47 | 13/02/2025 Headlines

Minister of Planning and Investment outlines six strategies to boost Việt Nam’s private sector
14:41 | 10/02/2025 Headlines