US officials reiterate respect for all-round ties with Vietnam

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue (L) meets with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Washington DC on June 25

The Vietnamese Deputy PM, who is also a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, is making an official visit to the US from June 25-27.

At the meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Deputy PM Hue reiterated Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, multilateralisation and persification of international relations, and active integration into the world.

Vietnam attaches importance to and is ready to promote the comprehensive partnership with the US in the interests of the two peoples and for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, he stressed.

State Secretary Pompeo emphasised the respect for the friendship and comprehensive cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation. He agreed with Hue that the two sides need to enhance bilateral relations on the basis of the agreed principles. He also highly valued Vietnam’s dynamic development, role and position in the region.

The US supports a strong, independent and prosperous Vietnam and is ready to cooperate with the country in issues of shared concern, he noted.

Discussing ways to bolster the comprehensive partnership, both sides agreed to increase mutual high-ranking visits, trade, investment, and cooperation in energy, defence-security and settlement of war consequences.

They affirmed that the two countries share common interests in maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, development, respect for international law in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, and resolving disputes peacefully in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also underlined the need for respecting all diplomatic and legal processes and effectively and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). They supported the early signing of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

Regarding other regional issues, the Vietnamese side applauded the outcomes of the summit between the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 12 and affirmed that Vietnam is willing to cooperate with and support all constructive efforts to solve disagreements through dialogue and actively contribute to the peace, security and stability in the Korean Peninsula.

Meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Deputy PM Hue said Vietnam treasures opportunities of economic-financial cooperation with the US.

He asked the US Department of the Treasury to set up a dialogue channel with the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and sectors of Vietnam so that the department would have sufficient information when it assesses bilateral trade ties and Vietnam’s exchange rate policy.

The US department was urged to push for the finalisation of procedures for ratifying the bilateral agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion with respect to taxes on income. It was also asked to resume ODA and preferential loans for Vietnam and increase direct and indirect aid programmes through non-governmental organisations to carry out humanitarian and development assistance projects in Vietnam.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin welcomed Deputy PM Hue’s visit, which he said reflects the Vietnamese Government’s goodwill and determination to push forward with realising the commitments reached by their leaders.

He said there remains much room for the two countries to bolster trade and investment partnerships, adding that he hopes to visit Vietnam as soon as possible to promote these cooperation opportunities and soon turn his country into a leading trade and investment partner of Vietnam.

Speaking highly of Deputy PM Hue’s proposals, Mnuchin noted that he will assign relevant agencies of the US to consider those ideas.

At a meeting with US Deputy National Security Advisor Mira Ricardel, Deputy PM Hue voiced his delight at the substantive expansion of the comprehensive partnership in bilateral, regional and global aspects, especially after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to the US in May 2017 and a State visit to Vietnam by President Donald Trump in November 2017.

Vietnam welcomes the US to continue playing an active role to help maintain peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Indo-Asia-Pacific and the world, Hue said. He stressed that a strong and independent Vietnam with continued reform, successful integration into the world and growing important role in ASEAN and the region will be useful for the US to realise its policy towards the region.

Ricardel affirmed the importance of the comprehensive partnership between the US and Vietnam, which has an important role in the US’s implementation of its policy in Asia-Pacific. She shared her guest’s viewpoint that a strong, independent and reformed Vietnam will benefit the whole region, including the US.

In terms of regional and global issues, Ricardel said the US respects international law, security and safety of navigation in and overflight over the East Sea and supports the peaceful settlement of disputes. The US also appreciates Vietnam’s support for President Trump’s efforts in the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Talking to Senator Mazie Hirono, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, Deputy PM Hue thanked the senator for supporting Vietnam-US relations. He valued the US Congress’s role in strengthening the countries’ relations, asking it to continue helping Vietnam to address war consequences and reinforce trade ties.

Hirono said she supports stronger bilateral connections in all fields, particularly in economy-trade, war consequences settlement, parliamentary cooperation, and coordination to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, including the freedom, security and safety of navigation and aviation and the peaceful resolving of disputes in the East Sea.

She shared the view that there remain many chances for the countries to develop bilateral ties. She expressed her wish to visit Vietnam in the near future.