VN forges bilateral ties with US, Japan, New Zealand

VGP - During their talks and meetings on October 30 in Hà Nội, Deputy PM, FM Phạm Gia Khiêm and his counterparts from the US, Japan and New Zealand agreed to boost bilateral relations.

October 31, 2010 12:29 PM GMT+7

Deputy PM, FM Phạm Gia Khiêm (3^rd from R) held talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (3^rd from L), Hà Nội, October 30, 2010 - Photo: VGP/ Nhật Bắc

VN-US relations developing actively

During the talks between Deputy PM, FM Phạm Gia Khiêm and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the two sides agreed that the bilateral ties are developing very well in all fields, including politics, culture, economics, education and security.

The two-way trade valued surged to US $15 billion in 2009 from US $450 million 15 years ago.

Ms. Hillary Clinton reiterated the US policy on strengthening cooperation with ASEAN countries, and supporting the bloc’s central role in the regional structure.

After the talks, Deputy PM Khiêm and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton witnessed the signing of a state- business cooperative deal between the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications and US firm Microsoft, an aircraft contract between Việt Nam Airlines and Boeing, and a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the US Department of State.

Deputy PM, FM Phạm Gia Khiêm (4^th from R) held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Maehara Seiji, Hà Nội, October 30, 2010 - Photo: VGP/ Nhật Bắc

Bringing VN-Japan ties to new height

In his talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Maehara Seiji, Mr. Khiêm confirmed that Việt Nam always attaches importance to the strategic comprehensive cooperation with Japan, expressing his belief that the bilateral ties will develop in a sustainable way in the interests of the two peoples, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Japan would continue to cooperate closely and actively with Việt Nam and proposed that the two sides should complete strategic dialogue mechanisms to bring the bilateral relations to a new height.

VN-New Zealand bonds developing finely

On the sidelines of the East Asian Summit and relevant meetings of ASEAN, Mr. Khiêm received New Zealand FM Murray McCully.

Pleased with the blossoming relations between the two countries, especially since the establishment of the comprehensive partnership, they agreed to maintain frequent high-ranking visits to boost the ties.

The two leaders affirmed that the two countries would continue to step up their friendly and comprehensive cooperation in the coming time.

Mr. Khiêm proposed New Zealand maintain and increase ODA for Việt Nam.

The New Zealand side vowed to continue the English Language Training for Officials (ELTO) and increase scholarships for Vietnamese people.

By Ngọc Vân