The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the evening of January 30 issued a joint press statement between Vietnam and the Philippines on the occasion of the state visit to Vietnam by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from January 29-30.
The full text of the joint statement is as follows: 1. At the invitation of His Excellency Vo Van Thuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, His Excellency Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines paid a state visit to Vietnam from January 29 to 30. 2. During the visit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attended the official welcoming ceremony and held talks with President Vo Van Thuong. The President of the Philippines also met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.
President Vo Van Thuong and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
DAU TIEN DAT
3. At the talks, the two leaders highly appreciated the strong and substantive development of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Based on many similarities in views and interests between the two countries, the two leaders agreed to strengthen and develop the partnership more deeply and comprehensively in the context of the two sides moving towards the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2025 and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026. 4. The two leaders agreed to further enhance political trust, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries through regular maintenance of high-level visits and contacts at all levels through all channels of the Party, State, Government, National Assembly and people-to-people exchanges. The two sides pledged to promote existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and effectively implement the documents signed between the two countries to enhance mutual understanding and trust. 5. The two leaders supported the further deepening of economic relations and encouraged the implementation of joint cooperation initiatives between the two countries. They stressed the importance of increasing two-way trade and investment, including through effectively utilising the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to promote integrated supply chains between businesses of the two economies. The two leaders also agreed to work closely to promote smooth trade flows to achieve the target of increasing total bilateral trade to US$10 billion as soon as possible, as well as creating a favorable business environment for investors in areas of mutual interest. The two leaders also discussed potential areas of cooperation such as agriculture, especially rice trade and market access for agricultural products, food security, energy security, infrastructure development, education, transport management, innovation, tourism, connectivity, science and technology and environmental protection, among others.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
NORTH JAPAN
6. The two sides acknowledged the strong momentum of cooperation in the field of defense and security, which has contributed positively to the strengthening of strategic cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines. Accordingly, the two leaders agreed to: continue to promote high-level visits, information sharing activities, education and training exchanges, and defense dialogue mechanisms; strengthen coordination in the defense industry as well as cooperation in military medicine, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), maritime and aviation security, counter-terrorism, cyber security, peacekeeping operations, among others. Strengthen law enforcement cooperation against transnational crimes, including cooperation in combating human trafficking, crimes and violations of the law related to gambling, illegal credit, illegal residence and labor, etc., as well as traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and call on relevant officials of the two countries to promote each other's expertise and experience. 7. The two leaders agreed to strengthen existing maritime cooperation mechanisms, especially the Joint Committee on Maritime and Ocean Affairs at the deputy foreign minister level, the hotline between the coast guard forces of the two countries, among other mechanisms, and adopt other measures to ensure the security and safety of each other's fishermen and the peaceful resolution of incidents at sea. 8. The two leaders emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation in education, culture, tourism, healthcare, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between localities, as well as promoting the role of friendship organizations of the two countries to enhance cohesion and mutual understanding, promote connectivity and enrich cultural diversity, contributing to the comprehensive enhancement of relations between the two countries. 9. The two leaders also spent time discussing many international, regional and sub-regional issues of mutual concern, including the situation in Myanmar and the East Sea. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region, including promoting efforts to build the ASEAN Community through the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and ASEAN Community Vision 2045, and supporting sub-regional cooperation, including the Mekong and BIMP-EAGA cooperation mechanisms. Accordingly, the two leaders welcomed the effective cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines in ASEAN and agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation, coordination and consultation with each other to respond effectively and promptly to regional and international issues of mutual concern, thereby contributing to strengthening ASEAN's solidarity and central role in ASEAN-led processes and mechanisms.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
PHAM THANG
10. The two leaders welcomed the close coordination and consultation as well as mutual support, including the candidacy of the two countries, at international organizations and multilateral frameworks, especially the United Nations (UN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). 11. The two leaders stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea. The two sides called for restraint from actions that complicate or escalate disputes, affect regional peace and stability, avoid unilateral actions that could change the status quo and increase tensions, as well as peaceful settlement of disputes, without threat or use of force, in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to fully and effectively implement the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). and promote the early completion of negotiations on an effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. Accordingly, the two leaders emphasized the need to promote a favorable environment for COC negotiations. 12. During the visit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and President Vo Van Thuong also witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents in various fields, including: Memorandum of Understanding on Rice Trade Cooperation, Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention and Management of Incidents in the East Sea, Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation and Related Fields, Cultural Cooperation Program for the 2024-2029 Period, and Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Cooperation. 13. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked the Vietnamese leaders and people for the warm welcome given to the Philippine delegation during this visit. On this occasion, the President of the Philippines also invited Vietnamese leaders to visit the Philippines at a convenient time.
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