NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (left) is welcomed at Villamor Airbase in Manila, the Philippines, on November 23. (Photo: VNA)In an interview granted to the VietnamNews Agency, Chung noted this trip is the first official visit to the country by an NA chairpersonof Vietnam after 16 years and also the first by a foreign parliamentary leaderto the Philippines after the country successfully held the general elections inMay 2022 and elected new leaders to its House of Representatives and Senate. It also marks the resumption of high-level mutual visits between the two countries after a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The visit reflectsVietnam’s respect for the new leadership of the Philippines and thecountries’ strategic partnership, especially after they celebrated the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2021 (July 12). It is also a vividdemonstration of the traditional and sound friendship between the two nations,including their legislative bodies, helping strengthen political trust andpromote bilateral cooperation in different spheres and mark a memorablemilestone in the strategic partnership, he said.
According to Chung, in the recentpast, the Vietnam-Philippines relations have maintained an upward trend despite substantial difficulties caused by the pandemic.
In terms ofpolitics, meetings, discussions, and exchanges of messagesand letters have been maintained between their senior leaders.
At the phonetalks between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and PhilippinePresident Rodrigo R.Duterte in mid-July 2021, they agreed to further intensify the strategicpartnership through trust building and mutual support amid thepandemic-triggered trying times. Particularly, Vietnam’s commitment to sustainstable and sufficient rice supply for the Philippines in any circumstance washighly valued by the Philippine leader and people. Most recently, in November2022, PM Chinh met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Cambodia, while President Nguyen Xuan Phuc also met thePhilippine leader at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Thailand. The twosides agreed to step up consultation and coordination to develop the strategicpartnership in an increasingly substantive manner.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung (Photo: VNA)However, investment ties remainmodest as the Philippines currentlyranks 28th among the 140 countries and territories investing inVietnam, with total investment of about 650 million USD. Meanwhile, Vietnamese firms have invested just 4 million USD into thePhilippines, according to the ambassador.
Cooperation in education, tourism,labour, and people-to-people exchange are gradually recovering after thepandemic, contributing to the strategic partnership.
The diplomat went on to say thatparliamentary relations form an important part of Vietnam’s diplomatic tieswith other countries.
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the parliaments of Vietnam and the Philippines have had fewchances to hold mutual visits over the last two years, and they also haven’tsigned any cooperation agreement. However, bilateral meetings have still beenmaintained on the sidelines of international and regional inter-parliamentaryconferences.
Chairman Hue’s official visit will bea significant landmark and boost high-level delegation exchanges after thepandemic, Chung said, noting that it reflects Vietnam’s drastic and proactive movesto implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance,multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, and readiness tobe a friend and trustworthy partner of other countries, with great importanceattached to neighbouring and ASEAN countries.
He expressed his belief that in thecoming time, the Vietnam - Philippine relations will keep developingcomprehensively and fruitfully, thereby generating practical benefits for thetwo peoples and considerably contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, anddevelopment in the region and the world at large./.
VNA
