National Assembly Chairwoman meets Singaporean President

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan suggested that Vietnam and Singapore maintain their meetings and visits at all channels and levels, while joining hands to celebrate the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2018.

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (left) meets Singaporean President Halimah Yacob. (Credit: VOV)
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (left) meets Singaporean President Halimah Yacob. (Credit: VOV)

The senior Vietnamese legislator made the suggestion during her meeting with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob on November 27, as part of her official visit to the country.

Highlighting the fruitful political ties between Vietnam and Singapore, NA Chairwoman Ngan said that progress has also been made in cooperation in the spheres of trade, investment, national defence and security, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

The Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) has become a symbol of the successful and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, she said, describing Singapore as Vietnam’s leading trade and investment partner, and a country which has trained many Vietnamese students.

The chief legislator underscored Halimah Yacob’s contributions to the legislative ties between Vietnam and Singapore in her capacity as Singapore’s Parliament Speaker in the past, saying that the two sides have regularly exchanged high-level delegations, information and experience.

She expressed her hope that President Halimah Yacob would contribute further to the relations between the two parliaments, thus helping to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The NA Chairwoman extended President Tran Dai Quang’s invitation to President Halimah Yacob to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2018.

In reply, President Halimah Yacob praised Vietnam’s efforts in successfully hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week in the central city of Da Nang from November 6-11.

She also applauded the outcomes of the cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore across multiple spheres, especially in economics, saying that Singapore is Vietnam’s third largest investor.

The President used the occasion to call for Vietnam’s support for Singapore as the rotating Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018.

Stressing Vietnam’s role in advancing the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, Halimah Yacob said that the concerned parties should continue to finalise the deal for early approval and implementation, thus benefiting Vietnam, Singapore and the other signatories.

The President noted her hope that Vietnamese and Singaporean firms would seek business opportunities during the NA Chairwoman’s visit.

She called on the two countries to step up their cooperation within ASEAN, informing them that ASEAN 1018 will take the theme of resilience and innovation.

Halimah Yacob also underlined the need for ASEAN to enhance its intra-bloc cooperation to deal with common issues and accelerate the formation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

She said that apart from political, economic and cultural links, people-to-people exchanges also play an important role, adding that many Singaporeans now want to visit Vietnam.