This is President Sang’s first visit to the Philippines after being elected as a State leader by the Vietnamese National Assembly in June. It is also the usual practice within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for newly-elected leaders to pay courtesy visits to member countries.
The visit affirms Vietnam’s policy of attaching significant importance to the friendship and multi-faceted bilateral co-operation between Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as at regional and international forums.
The friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between Vietnam and the Philippines has been continuously promoted in politics, economics, trade, investment, science, technology, security, national defence, agriculture and fisheries.
The two countries have organised numerous activities this year to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic relations, and both sides have regularly exchanged visits and co-operated at regional and international forums.
During Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s official visit to Vietnam in November 2002, the “Joint Statement on a Bilateral Co-operation Framework for the first 25 years of the 21st century and the following period,” was signed, establishing a legal foundation and favourable conditions to enhance friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between the two countries.
The two-way trade between Vietnam and the Philippines reached a record of US$2.4 billion last year, creating momentum for both sides to increase bilateral trade volume to US$3 billion by 2014.
The Philippines is one of the few countries with which Vietnam has a trade surplus, importing 1.5 to 1.7 million tonnes of Vietnamese rice per year, which accounts for 60% of Vietnam’s total rice exports.
Maritime and ocean cooperation is one of the key pillars of the relationship between the two countries, and they also have potential to co-operate in agriculture, fisheries, education and training.
As two ASEAN member countries, Vietnam and the Philippines have co-operated closely within the ASEAN framework for building an ASEAN community by 2015 and implementing the ASEAN Charter, as well as at the Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), United Nations (UN) and other international forums.
During his state visit to the Philippines, President Sang aims to discuss orientations to enhance the two countries’ co-operation in economics, trade, investment, national defence, security, education, training and culture, in order to raise their relationship to a new level.
The two sides will also discuss measures to promote co-operation at regional and international forums, including ASEAN, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Agreements are expected to be signed during the visit that will contribute to strengthening the economic relationship between the two nations.
May the state visit by State President Truong Tan Sang be successful and contribute to deepening the friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between Vietnam and the Philippines in response to the desires of the people and for the mutual benefit of both nations for peace, stability, co-operation and development in Southeast Asia and the world.
