Foreign Minister of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (Photo: Straitstimes.com)
Hanoi (VNA)꧋ – Foreign Minister of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has stated that Singapore and Vietnam have potential to step up their cooperation.
He granted an interview to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents based in Singapore ahead of President Tran Dai Quang’s official visit to the island country on August 29-30.
The interview runs as follows:
Q: The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, His Excellency Tran Dai Quang will pay a visit to Singapore on August 29-30, 2016. As foreign minister, how would you comment on the meanings of this visit?
A: Singapore is honoured to welcome the State Visit of His Excellency Tran Dai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Madam Nguyen Thi Hien to Singapore from 28 to 30 August 2016.That President Quang has chosen to visit Singapore early in his Presidential term is testament to the strength and importance of our bilateral relations.
Q: Vietnam and Singapore will celebrate the 43rd anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 3rd anniversary of a bilateral strategic partnership in 2016. How would you evaluate on bilateral ties between the two countries in the past years in various areas? What are the core areas that the two countries will concentrate on further strengthening bilateral co-operation in the coming time?
A: Singapore and Vietnam enjoy very warm ties and have regular high-level exchanges. We elevated our relations to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s official visit to Vietnam in 2013 in commemoration of 40 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Three years on, this Strategic Partnership has further strengthened bilateral cooperation in key sectors such as trade and investment, finance, security and defence, aviation, education and training.
A notably robust area of cooperation is in trade and investment. Bilateral trade has grown steadily over the last decade, amounting to 21.6 billion USD with a 10.6 percent increase year-on-year in 2015. Singapore has consistently been one of the top investors in Vietnam, with flagship projects like the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) and the One Hub Saigon Business Park. As of April 2016, we were the 3rd largest foreign investor in Vietnam with a cumulative FDI of approximately 38.1 billion USD. The seven VSIPs across Vietnam is a significant joint venture between Singapore and Vietnam companies. They are symbols of our close bilateral cooperation. DPM Teo Chee Hean will be leading a delegation to commemorate the first VSIP’s 20th anniversary later this year. It has attracted about 9 billion USD of investments and provided employment for over 170,000 people. As Vietnam’s economy scales up the value chain, Singapore companies continue to be interested in the many opportunities in the country, including in high-tech innovation parks.
There is potential for both countries to enhance our cooperation, especially in the other areas of the Strategic Partnership. In the field of finance, Singapore banks are keen to obtain full banking licenses in Vietnam. This will allow them to offer more financial products and services in the Vietnamese market, and better support Singapore-based companies investing in Vietnam. More can be also done both bilaterally and regionally to combat terrorism, counter violent extremism and strengthen cyber-security cooperation.
While we have 142 flights weekly between Singapore and Vietnam, air carriers based in Singapore are interested in increasing regional connectivity through 5th freedom rights out of key Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Enhanced regional connectivity will also spur domestic activities in Vietnam through economic development sustained by the mobility of people as well as goods and service.
On human resource development, a substantial number of Vietnamese students have received scholarships to study in Singapore schools over the years. We have also been a steadfast partner of Vietnam’s development through the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), providing training to over 16,700 Vietnamese officials since its inception in 1992. Vietnamese Ministers and senior officials have also visited Singapore on various exchange programmes. We are happy to continue exchanging experiences and expertise with Vietnam when needed.
We look forward to further strengthen the close bilateral relations during this State Visit. I also take this opportunity to extend my warmest congratulations to Vietnam on the occasion of its 71st National Day on 2 September. Chúc mừng Quốc Khánh lần thứ 71!-VNA
The VUFA and the Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter held a ceremony on August 3 to mark the 51st anniversary of Singapore’s National Day.
Investment from Singapore into Vietnamese real estate is increasing with the presence of seasoned investors, according to Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper.
Young Vietnamese military officers arrived in Singapore on August 15 to take part in an exchange with local peers, reported Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily.
The upcoming State visits to Brunei and Singapore by President Tran Dai Quang aim to realise the foreign policy set forth by the 12 th Party Congress and deepen relations with the two countries.
Addressing the meeting, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting a large number of Vietnamese living and working in the RoK, acknowledging and appreciating their efforts in contributing to the growing Vietnam–RoK partnership.
He also welcomed the “Vietnam Private Sector Panorama” as a platform for dialogue, awareness-raising, and inspiring a wealth-creation movement, emphasising that it must deliver tangible results.
During a meeting on August 10 in Seoul with 100 representatives from the RoK’s intellectuals, associations, people’s organisations, businesses, and non-governmental organisations operating in Vietnam, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed his gratitude to Korean friendship, economic, cultural associations, universities, research institutes, individuals, and NGOs for their significant contributions to nurturing the Vietnam–RoK relationship.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with Chairman of the Republic of Korea (RoK)–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee is scheduled to convene its 48th session on August 11-13, with August 14-15 set as a backup date, according to the NA Office.
Vietnam’s Ambassador to Brazil and Bolivia Bui Van Nghi has led an embassy delegation to attend official events marking the 200th anniversary of Bolivia’s Independence Day.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with members of the Vietnam Innovation Network in Korea (VINK) and Vietnamese experts living and working in the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
In an interview with Korean media on the occasion of Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to the RoK, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that the visit demonstrates Vietnam’s strong resolve to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the RoK, with the aim of fostering greater political trust, closer strategic coordination, more substantive and comprehensive cooperation, and stronger bonds of friendship between the two countries' people.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government Party Committee, attended the 4th Party Congress of the EVN Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure on August 10, directing EVN to ensure power supply to meet the country’s development demands with double-digit growth set for the coming years.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Foreign Minister of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (Photo: Straitstimes.com)
