Beijing (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s upcoming attendance at the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit and his working trip to China’s Yunnan province and Chongqing city from November 5-8 will carry important significance, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai has said.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s resident reporters in Beijing, Mai said that this is the GMS’s first high-level meeting to be held in-person in the past six years due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this occasion, PM Chinh will attend the 10th Ayeyawady - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit and the 11th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation Summit.

Significance of PM Pham Minh Chinh's attendance at 8th GMS Summit

In context of the complicated and unpredictable developments in the international and regional situation, the attendance of the PM and the Vietnamese delegation at the 8th GMS Summit represents a practical activity in implementing the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, and multilateralism and diversification of international relations, and active and comprehensive international integration.

Furthermore, this underscores Vietnam’s commitment to sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, including the GMS collaboration. Vietnam's initiatives presented at the summit will enhance the cooperation pillars of the GMS framework, focusing on strengthening hard and soft infrastructure connectivity, responding to climate change, and sustainably managing water resources. It also reaffirms Vietnam’s role as a founding member of the GMS, and its effective contributions to the realisation of the subregion’s shared goals and vision, Mai stated.

The Vietnamese delegation’s participation will enhance relations between localities of Vietnam and neighbouring countries. The GMS member countries share geographical proximity and convenient transport connectivity, making locality-to-locality cooperation a vital component of overall collaboration among them. A forum of governors of provinces along the GMS economic corridor is expected to be held on the sidelines of the 8th GMS Summit.

The Vietnamese diplomat said that during his working trip to China, the Government leader is expected to engage in key activities in Yunnan province and Chongqing city. This visit reflects the continuation of high-level exchanges between the two Parties and countries, highlighting the importance attached by the Vietnamese Party, State and Government to Vietnam-China relations, especially in facilitating the implementation of high-level perceptions and signed agreements, boosting local-level collaboration to further utilise each other's strengths, improving the effectiveness and quality of cooperation across various fields. These efforts are aimed at benefiting the two nations' people, and heading to the 75th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and the “Year of Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchange” in 2025.

At the 8th GMS Summit, PM Chinh and other leaders of the GMS countries are expected to approve the summit’s Joint Statement and the innovation strategy for GMS development by 2030, and acknowledge six key documents on investment, the environment and climate change, digitalisation, gender equality, health, and a framework on the digitisation of trade documents.

These important outcomes will serve as a new driving force for sub-regional cooperation in general and GMS collaboration in particular. The collective effort and determination to promote cooperation and development while addressing common challenges will strengthen solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and its neighbours, and enhance the strategic role of the GMS in the regional integration process.

Furthermore, the cooperation directions endorsed at the summit will effectively support the construction of the ASEAN Community, shaping a regional structure with ASEAN at its centre, Mai said.

Expected outcomes for bilateral cooperation through PM's working trip

On the bilateral aspect, through PM Chinh’s trip, both sides plan to achieve specific and tangible results. Firstly, they will set forth practical measures to effectively implement the common perceptions, encourage Yunnan and Chongqing, and various Vietnamese localities to enhance mutual understanding and expand coordination mechanisms, so as to create new growth momentum for cooperation between the two countries.

Secondly, the trip will help define key focus areas and specific measures to enhance practical cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, investment, infrastructure, culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Thirdly, it will mark an important milestone in promoting education and dissemination of the traditional friendship and positive cooperation prospects between the two nations, thereby helping g to consolidate a stronger social foundation for the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the Vietnam-China Community with a shared future, which carries strategic significance.

Regarding cooperation between Vietnam and Chongqing, the ambassador affirmed that the two sides have significant potential to further deepen and enhance their collaboration.

He proposed the two sides promote their traditional friendship and increase exchanges between Vietnamese localities and Chongqing city, enhance strategic connectivity and infrastructure, and effectively utilise the intermodal railway from Chongqing to European countries to facilitate the export of Vietnamese goods to third markets.

🍸 It is necessary to continue expanding bilateral trade and increasing the import of each other's goods, particularly focusing on high-quality agricultural and aquatic products from Vietnam; attracting more investments in high-tech industries from reputable companies in Chongqing to Vietnam, especially in green transition and digital transformation; and better leverage tourism cooperation potential, including considering the opening of additional air routes between the Chinese city and various localities in Vietnam, Mai added./.