Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (R) and Vietnamese Consul General Tran Thanh Huan at the meeting on November 12 (Photo: VNA)Hong Kong (VNA) – Chief Executiveof Hong Kong Carrie Lam received outgoing Vietnamese Consul General in theChinese special administrative region Tran Thanh Huan on November 12.
The host appreciated Huan’s contributions to thedevelopment of Vietnam-Hong Kong ties, noting that the country is currentlyHong Kong’s third largest trade partner in ASEAN, with bilateral trade in 2019rising 10 percent year on year to about 20 billion USD.
She expressed her hope that the signing of afree trade agreement between Hong Kong and ASEAN will create momentum forrelations between Vietnamese localities and her region to grow further in thetime ahead.
Lam said although the COVID-19 pandemic hasdisrupted travel between the two sides, Vietnam is always an attractivedestination for Hong Kong people, and that she hopes bilateral travel will beresumed soon as the Southeast Asian country has put COVID-19 under control.
Highlighting both sides’ flourishing ties, theofficial voiced her hope that Huan will always be a good friend of Hong Kongand continue helping to boost bilateral relations in his new position.
For his part, Consul General Huan thanked theHong Kong Chief Executive for her assistance for himself and the VietnameseConsulate General over the last three years, expressing his honour to havechances to contribute to Vietnam-China relations in general, and links betweenVietnamese localities and Hong Kong in particular.
Vietnam always treasures the traditionalfriendship and comprehensive cooperation with China and considers this as oneof the top priorities in its foreign policy. Together with the development ofVietnam-China connections, the cooperation between Vietnamese localities andHong Kong has enjoyed encouraging strides, according to him.
Collaboration between Vietnamese localities andHong Kong in culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchange has also been onthe rise. The coordination in repatriating Vietnamese people illegally enteringthe Chinese region has also witnessed considerable progress.
The diplomat added that as important partners ofeach other, Vietnam hopes for a Hong Kong of stability and prosperousdevelopment, thus creating momentum for further enhancing win-wincooperation./.
VNA
