Chaired by Baroness and member of the House of Lords Neville-Jones, the event took place ahead of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to attend the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
At the event, Dr. Bill Hayton, one of the authors of the report, briefed participants about the context of the Vietnam – UK relations and pointed out common concerns of both countries in the Indo-Pacific and bilateral cooperation opportunities. He also suggested measures to boost bilateral relationship in various areas.
COG Founder and Director James Rogers said the UK has boosted its ties with Vietnam in the past decade and with the “tilt” toward Indo-Pacific in its strategy, the UK reaffirmed the importance of Vietnam which holds a significant geo-strategic location in the region and is forecast by the International Monetary Forum (IMF) to become the 30th biggest economy globally by 2030.
He said with Vietnam visits by UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and UK Secretary of State for Defence in June and July and talks between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson on October 26, the UK wishes to deepen strategic partnership with Vietnam, an important partner in the Indo-Pacific.
Dr. Bill Hayton, associate fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, highlighted promising cooperation areas between the two nations, including COVID-19 prevention and control, climate change, trade, and national defence-security.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long said bilateral economic ties need to be further consolidated, especially in manufacturing, mechanical engineering, infrastructure and wind power which are the UK’s strength.
Vice Chairman of the Vietnam – UK Network Paul Smith said Vietnam’s investment environment has improved considerably over the past two decades. According to him, the Vietnamese Government is ready to talk with investors to deal with their difficulties and make changes to benefit both sides, which is a strong point of Vietnam.
The policy paper was compiled by Dr. Bill Hayton, one of the UK’s leading experts on Vietnam, and Prof. John Hemmings, a geo-strategist for the Indo-Pacific, based on the outcomes of a seminar on Vietnam – UK ties held in early October and interviews with officials and experts in the UK, Vietnam and the US.
