Vietnamese high-ranking leaders visiting Singapore include: President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (February 2022), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (February 2023). Singaporean high-ranking leaders visiting Vietnam include: Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin (May 2022), President Halimah Yacob (October 2022) and today, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong begins an official visit to Vietnam (August 27-29). The high frequency of visits over the past year and a half shows the mutual respect and desire of both countries to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership.
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| Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomes Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Istana Palace, February 9, 2023. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
Going back in time, right after the Paris Agreement on restoring peace in Vietnam was signed (January 1973), Singapore was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) on August 1, 1973. What is more special, Singapore is one of the first ASEAN countries with which Vietnam established a strategic partnership 10 years ago (September 2013).
Over the past half century, especially after being upgraded to a Strategic Partnership, the Vietnam-Singapore relationship has become increasingly deeper and more effective. The two countries are now each other's leading partners in many areas, from trade and investment to diplomacy, security and defense. In that context, the frequent bilateral visits by leaders of the two countries are understandable and a positive trend.
For Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong personally, Vietnam is a familiar destination. He visited the S-shaped country in 2004, 2010, 2013, 2017 and this is his 5th visit as Prime Minister. This shows the closeness and connection between Singapore and Vietnam as well as between Mr. Lee Hsien Loong personally and the country which, in the strategic vision of his father, the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015), is a very special partner in ASEAN of Singapore.
The three-day visit of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is part of a series of events organized by the two sides to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership. The presence of the head of the Singaporean Government in Hanoi in the autumn days of August is to reciprocate the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the Lion City last February, a successful event that has opened up many prospects for bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of green economy and digital economy.
It is worth remembering that at the luncheon welcoming his Vietnamese counterpart, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong emphasized that Singapore and Vietnam have similar strategic visions, high political trust, strong economic cooperation as well as many opportunities for cooperation in new fields.
Obviously, in addition to the purpose of returning the courtesy according to diplomatic practice, this visit of Mr. Lee Hsien Loong contributes significantly to strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing strategic trust between the leaders of the two countries, and at the same time contributing to realizing existing agreements and signing new agreements, especially in economic cooperation and new areas such as digital transformation, digital economy, clean energy and renewable energy.
From a scholar's perspective, Associate Professor Vu Minh Khuong (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore) assessed that this visit by the third Prime Minister of Singapore has strategic significance in the context of the world witnessing many changes, the two countries facing great opportunities and challenges.
During Lee Kuan Yew's time, Vietnam was a very important country. And today, according to Associate Professor Vu Minh Khuong, Singapore still considers Vietnam a particularly important partner, with a strategic location with a population of about 100 million, maintaining a development trend and certainly becoming a major economy in the near future.
The two sides have strategic trust, share many issues and have the same views on many strategic issues because they both depend heavily on the world economy and both want a peaceful and stable world.
Sharing the same "roof" of ASEAN, Vietnam and Singapore have repeatedly emphasized the role of a balanced diplomatic strategy, strategic autonomy, the paramount role of international law, as well as the need to maintain a rules-based international order.
Commenting that Vietnam will be a special strategic partner of Singapore in the coming time, scholar Vu Minh Khuong said that with this visit to Hanoi, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wants to lay the foundation for the next generation of Singapore in relations with Vietnam.
As part of the vibrant exchange of high-level visits between Vietnam and Singapore in recent times, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's official visit to Vietnam continues to consolidate, promote and deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries for peace and stability in the region and the world.
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